House Of Cards
by Bill K
Summary: A simple shooting in the Ginza pulls back the curtain on a pair of activities hidden from Queen Serenity and the Senshi, and impacts the life of an innocent eight year old boy.
1. Stacked Deck

HOUSE OF CARDS  
Chapter 1: "Stacked Deck"  
A Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

* * *

Sailor Moon and all related characters are (c)2018 by Naoko Takeuchi and are used without permission, but with respect. Story is (c)2018 by Bill K.

* * *

Nihonbashi for years was one of the thriving business districts of Chuo-Ku, a hub of corporate enterprise and, sort of jokingly, one of the leading spots in Japan to commit "death by overwork". As such, it was also a lucrative area for the local Yakuza clan to sell methamphetamine to salarymen desperate to find a means to keep putting in eighty hour weeks.

Ayoshi Katagara was a successful department head for a Japanese insurance company. He followed all the orders of his superiors and brought his department in on sound fiscal footing. The company valued him highly and had him fast-tracked for upper management. He was married to a woman who felt abandoned by him due to his long hours and a son estranged from him due to neglect. Ayoshi Katagara was also a meth addict. At a time when he should be finishing the fiscal projections for the first quarter of 2019, instead he sat on a bench in the Ginza district and waited anxiously. After ten minutes which seemed like an eternity, two familiar men approached.

Both wore the uniform of the Yakuza low level tough: flashy suit, pompadour, sunglasses and cigarette dangling from a lip. While one stood by the bench and looked around, trying to be both menacing and inconspicuous, the other slid in next to Ayoshi.

"Back so soon, Katagara-Kun?" grinned the thug sitting next to him. "Must be having a rough time."

"Yeah," Ayoshi wheezed. He didn't want small talk from this sleaze. He wanted his meth.

"Well, whenever you need it, we'll have it," the thug replied. "We like to keep good customers happy."

Ayoshi pulled out a folded up wad of bills and slipped it to the thug. The thug responded with a small package slipped into Ayoshi's hand.

"Just to let you know," the thug mentioned casually. "The price is going up. Overhead, you know. Between Queen Serenity and Superintendent Sakurada, the cost of doing business is through . . ."

"This feels light," Ayoshi remarked.

"It's the same as you've always gotten."

"It's light," Ayoshi maintained. "What are you trying to pull?"

"Are you questioning my honesty?" the thug mocked. "I am truly hurt . . ."

"I paid for my stuff," Ayoshi reiterated, his manner growing more fervent by the second. "I want my stuff! I need it! I need my stuff!"

"You got what you paid for," the thug glared while his partner looked around nervously. "And you better apologize if you want to get any more."

"No!" Ayoshi gasped, lunging at the man and gripping him by his coat. "You're trying to cheat me! You think I'm stupid and pathetic! Give it to me! Now!"

The thug's fist cocked and shot forward, landing squarely on Ayoshi's jaw. It stunned him momentarily, but it only seemed to fuel the man's paranoia. He lunged again, grasping inside the jacket for the drug his paranoid mind knew was in there. The thug's partner came over and grabbed Ayoshi, jerking him away. As the salaryman was ripped away from the Yakuza tough, the Yakuza's .44 automatic pulled out of its holster and fell onto the bench.

For a moment, the three just looked at it, unable to believe what had happened. Then Ayoshi lunged and seized it. Instantly the seated Yakuza seized Ayoshi's hands, trying to wrest the gun away from him. The gun went off. Blood splattered onto Ayoshi as the Yakuza pitched over the armrest of the bench and fell to the sidewalk. People who had until that moment been trying to ignore what was happening stared or screamed. The other Yakuza tried to grab Ayoshi, but he wrenched away, turned and fired. As the other Yakuza fell to the sidewalk, sending panicked passers-by scurrying, Ayoshi got up and began running. In his withdrawal-fevered brain, he knew this was the end of his career and marriage, but maybe he could run far enough so the Yakuza didn't end his life.

In another part of the Ginza, crowds were gathered and lights were flashing. The touring company of Russia's Bolshoi Ballet was performing that evening. Attending the performance were the King and Queen of Japan, Endymion and Serenity, with Sailor Mercury augmenting the phalanx of city police and palace guards. Serenity wore a dark blue evening gown with a single strap and light blue opera gloves. Her blonde hair was up, piled upon the head of the Queen and seemingly balanced precariously. Endymion wore, as he often did, a tuxedo, this time in normal black rather than light gray. The crowd of people attracted by the event surged against balustrades and police lines to get a glimpse of the Royal Couple and, if luck were with them, actually touch them.

"I knew we should have teleported in," Endymion muttered under his breath as his eyes darted from one side to the other.

"Don't be silly," Serenity replied. "It's good that the people can see us. It makes them so happy." A woman waved at her from behind the police line. "Hi! How are you? Are you going to see the show?"

"Performance," Mercury corrected her.

"Whatever," huffed the Queen.

"I wasn't aware that you were a fan of ballet, Serenity."

"Well, I confess I don't understand a lot of it," Serenity replied. "But a long time ago, when I was fourteen, I wanted to be a ballerina - - for about five minutes."

"Oh?" Endymion remarked, surprised by this new revelation in his wife. "What changed your mind?"

"I found out how much work it was," Serenity swallowed. Endymion chuckled.

With that, a shot rang out. The crowd hushed and then began to surge away. The police surged forward. Mercury and the guards stepped in front of the Royal Couple to protect them. Three more shots cut through the fleeing crowd. Three civilians fell. And through the chaos, a voice could be heard.

"You won't kill me! I didn't mean it!" Ayoshi Katagara bellowed maniacally. "I just wanted my stuff!"

An officer charged him, baton in hand. Ayoshi pulled down the gun and fired, sending the officer to the sidewalk.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" Mercury shouted, pointing her hand at the gunman. Her aim was guided by the visor over her eyes.

Instantly ice formed over the gun and the hand holding it. Ayoshi stared at the globe of ice around his hand, then began wildly shaking it, trying to dislodge the ice. And at once, Queen Serenity materialized before him.

"Please stop this," Serenity pleaded, appealing directly to him. "You're hurting other people and you'll hurt yourself, and I don't want that. What's wrong?"

"I-I need it," Ayoshi mumbled, staring down into Serenity's face, into those pool blue eyes. "I don't feel anything. Not without it."

By now Endymion was behind her, ready should Ayoshi make a move toward her. Mercury was just arriving and the police had surrounded Ayoshi and the Queen. Ayoshi didn't panic, didn't even notice them. He stood, mesmerized by those deep blue eyes.

"You're in so much pain," Serenity said. "What can I do to help?" Ayoshi just stared, his right hand flicking involuntarily at his side, obsessively trying to flick off the ice globe.

"Serenity, my scan is showing he's in withdrawal," Mercury advised her. "I would judge him to be severely addicted to methamphetamine. The drug-induced paranoia may have led to a psychotic episode."

"Let me help you," Serenity said. She raised her hand to his face, but Ayoshi pulled back. "I won't hurt you. But you need to rest."

"Rest," he muttered as Serenity touched his forehead. "What's that?"

Ayoshi slumped to the ground. Two police officers pulled him up and carried him away.

"Take him to a hospital, please!" Serenity called after them. "Now what about the others? There were people hurt!"

Unbidden, Serenity glided over to the fallen police officer. He was sitting up and rubbing his chest. She knelt down beside him.

"Are you all right? You were shot!" the Queen gasped.

"Kevlar vest," he wheezed out. "Stopped the shot."

"Oh, thank the gods!" Serenity beamed. And she was up and onto the next victim.

"Serenity, let the police and the medics handle it!" Mercury called after her.

But Serenity kept on. Several officers were working on a fallen civilian while a crowd watched. Serenity knelt down by the victim, heedless that she was kneeling in blood and it was staining her gown. One of the officers turned to her.

"I'm sorry, Queen Serenity," he told her. "This person is gone."

And tears trickled down the Queen's face. The public watched as she took a few moments to mourn this stranger, then saw her rise and head for where the other victims were. As she approached, an ambulance was pulling up. Several officers were doing first aid. Serenity could see it was a man and a woman, dressed to attend the ballet as she had been. They were both blond and fair, foreigners to Japan. The man was on a stretcher and being loaded into the ambulance.

"Is he going to live?" she asked.

"We'll do our best, Your Majesty," one of the medics told her.

"What about her?"

The silence was her answer. Sensing Endymion behind her, Serenity turned and buried her face in his chest.

"Why, Endymion?" she sobbed. "Why?"

And as always, Endymion was stuck for a sufficient answer.

* * *

In the Crystal Palace, Tatsuo Hiroyuke packed a suitcase in the quarters he'd shared with his wife of six months, Minako Aino. In a chair in a corner of the room, his wife watched him pack with growing distress. From his perch on a dresser, Artemis watched them.

"If you loved me, you wouldn't go," Minako said suddenly. Both Tatsuo and Artemis sighed.

"This is an important part," Tatsuo reiterated. "It's one that I want to do, on top of it being really good for my career."

"Then let me go with you!" Minako countered with a little too much vehemence. Tatsuo and Artemis both looked at her.

"I would love for you to go with me," Tatsuo replied with a gently smile on his achingly handsome face. "I don't know how much you'd do for my concentration, but I'd be willing to take the chance."

Minako flashed a timid smile.

"But the question is can the King and Queen spare you? This shoot is in Kobe," Tatsuo reminded her. "Artemis pointed that out and I think he's got something."

"Thanks a lot, 'Partner'," Minako scowled.

"Somebody's got to think of these things," Artemis huffed.

"I will never get used to that cat talking," Tatsuo muttered.

"I feel the same way about humans," the white cat quipped. "Look, Mina, quit playing the neglected spouse and just say what you're really scared of: You're afraid the minute Tatsuo leaves, Ace will move in."

"I AM NOT!" barked Minako.

"Is that true?" Tatsuo asked incredulously. "Are we that fragile as a couple?"

Instantly Minako was out of the chair and across the room. She folded her arms around Tatsuo and kissed him.

"No way!" she maintained. "I'm damn lucky to have you!" She smirked. "Almost as lucky as you are to have me." Then she darkened. "But you don't know him. You don't know what he's capable of. He's already busted up two marriages. I don't want this to be number three!"

"It's been six months," Tatsuo offered. "He hasn't shown up yet. Maybe he's given up."

"No, Ace wouldn't give up," Minako shook her head.

"Maybe he's dead," Artemis suggested.

"I couldn't get that lucky," Minako huffed. She looked up at her husband. "He's out there, planning something. The six months may be just for effect; a ploy to get us to lower our guard. Then BAM!"

Tatsuo stroked the back of her hair. "Do you know how paranoid that sounds?"

"It's not paranoia if it really happens," Minako countered. "Believe me, Tat-Chan, he's out there planning something," and she swallowed with some difficulty, "and I'm not sure I can stay strong against him if you're not here."

Tatsuo and Artemis both stared. This was a difficult admission from a woman who thought she was capable of anything if she put her mind to it.

"Tat-Chan, I love you," Minako declared, "but I don't think straight around him. If he shows up and you're not here, I'll probably end up doing something I'll really regret."

Tatsuo looked deeply into Minako's eyes. Then he turned helplessly to Artemis.

"Do you think the King and Queen would mind if Minako took a leave of absence?" he asked.

"All we can do is ask," the cat shrugged.

"Ask Serenity," Minako smiled. "She never says 'no', especially if it's in the service of true love." The blonde hesitated. "Just, um, try not to ask her if Luna is in the room."

They both heard Artemis chuckle in agreement.

* * *

At the hospital, emergency room personnel worked on the wounded man. Ami, in civilian form, assisted. Serenity and Endymion waited outside, while the squad of palace security assigned to them kept the press and the curious at bay. From time to time one would shout a question, but the Royal Couple ignored them. Serenity's blue gown was stained with blood and dirt, and her hairstyle was frazzled with loose strands of golden hair dangling to her bare shoulders. Cameras were banned completely and there was much grumbling among the press. As Serenity paced and Endymion tried to keep her from going in and healing the victim outright, someone pushed through the crowd until she reached the ring of guards. Recognizing the woman as Superintendent Sakurada, Endymion nodded and the guards let her through. She walked up to the Royal Couple.

"Any word on the man in there?" Sakurada asked.

"No," Serenity squeaked. "But Ami's in there, so he has the best care possible."

"What have your people managed to piece together?" Endymion asked.

"Our perpetrator is Ayoshi Katagara," Sakurada reported, "a middle manager with Mitsusaki Insurance. Apparently he was doing a drug buy in another part of the Ginza and it went bad. We found the bodies of two members of the Motoguri Clan. One of them had methamphetamine on him and his gun was missing."

"I thought there was a law against guns!" Serenity exclaimed.

"The Yakuza aren't big on following the law, Queen Serenity," Sakurada responded patiently.

"Ami said that he scanned as an addict in withdrawal," Endymion nodded.

"Is he getting help?" Serenity asked, turning for the first time away from the door to the emergency room.

"He's in the prison ward of a hospital over in Shinjuku," Sakurada said. "From what we've found, he's a model citizen with a pristine record." She sighed. "Of course, he wouldn't be the first."

"How so?" Endymion inquired.

"We have problems with a lot of salarymen cracking from the strain of eighty or more hour weeks," Sakurada told him. "Public drunkenness, sexual assaults on bar workers or other patrons, or drug abuse, usually meth. And Yakuza Clans like the Motoguri are only too happy to cater to their vices."

"Why haven't you stopped them?" Serenity asked, turning to the Superintendent again. "If they're hurting people . . ."

"Unlike you, Queen Serenity, the police still have to follow the rules," Sakurada replied. "We can't just clap Yakuza in jail without evidence or a trial. We harass people like the Motoguri, but we haven't been able to stop them. And if we did, another clan would just move in. This will be a problem as long as salarymen work impossible hours and need something to relieve the stress."

"I wasn't criticizing, Sakarada-San. I'm sure you're doing your best," Serenity offered. "It's just . . ."

She was interrupted when Tokyo Police Officers parted the crowd. Accompanying them was an eight year old boy. He was blond and fair and had the look of a frightened animal. Sakurada glanced at the lead officer and got a nod in return.

"That's Yuri Sakarov," Sakarada told the King and Queen. "His father's in the emergency room right now. His mother was one of the victims."

Instantly Serenity was across the room and kneeling before the surprised boy. He stared at her as if she meant to eat him. Instead she folded her arms around him and hugged him to her.

"I'm so sorry about your mother," Serenity whispered to him. "We're doing everything we can to help your father. Please don't be afraid. You're safe here. And you're not alone in all of this."

"How is Papa?" Yuri asked her softly, in perfect Japanese, clinging to the Queen. "Is he going to die, too?"

"Not if I can help it," Serenity said.

With that, she rose to her feet. Clutching Yuri by the hand, Serenity began to head for the emergency room. Endymion moved to stop her. Then the door to the room opened and Ami emerged.

"Ami?" Serenity asked hopefully.

"We did all we could," Ami said hoarsely. "The damage was too severe."

Serenity felt the boy's hand squeeze hers. She looked down to him. He looked up to her.

"Papa?" Yuri asked fearfully.

"I'm sorry, Yuri-Kun," the Queen whispered as she sank to her knees and again wrapped the boy in her arms. And together two strangers wept as dozens looked on and mourned for them.

Continued in Chapter 2


	2. The Extended Gentle Hand

HOUSE OF CARDS  
Chapter 2: "The Extended Gentle Hand"

By Bill K.

* * *

Queen Serenity escorted eight year old Yuri Sakarov into the palace from the entrance to the palace garage, where they had arrived via their palace limousine. A short distance behind them were Endymion and Ami Futuhara. Their attention was on the boy, who had just suffered the loss of his parents and was, of course, in shock. But they also had Serenity in their minds as well. How was she handling this and how far was she prepared to go?

"Yuri-Kun," Serenity said, kneeling down before the boy and gently grasping him by the upper arms, "this is the Crystal Palace. I want you to know that you can stay here just as long as you need to."

"Thank you," the boy murmured. He was well-mannered, apparently, and spoke Japanese easily.

Serenity brushed at his blond hair. "I know it hurts. I'll do everything I can to help."

"Why did it have to happen, Serenity-Dono?" Yuri asked. It was clear that he was struggling not to cry.

"I don't know," Serenity sniffed. "If I knew, maybe I could have done something to prevent it." She caressed his cheek. "And it's just Serenity. Serenity-Dono is just so stuffy. I want you to feel comfortable here."

They all turned when they noticed Luna approach.

"This is the child, Your Majesty?" the black cat asked.

"Yes, Luna," Endymion said. "Please find out if there are any relatives we can place him with - - preferably living in Japan, but check into any Russian family, too." Serenity looked up at him, surprised and a little hurt. "Placing him with family will probably be best."

"I shall tend to it at once, Your Majesty," Luna replied and scampered off.

"If Yuri-Kun is feeling up to it," Ami interjected, "I'd like to give him a physical examination, to see if there are any ill-effects of the incident or medical history we should be familiar with."

Yuri looked at Serenity and it was clear he didn't relish the thought. Serenity looked up at Ami and communicated the same.

"It can wait until morning," Ami conceded. "Perhaps it's better he get settled first."

Taking Yuri by the hand, Serenity led him up to the third floor living quarters of the palace. As they passed down the hall, Makoto and her family were waiting by the door to their quarters. Yuri looked at them with some suspicion, so Serenity stopped and bent down to him.

"Yuri-Kun," Serenity began sweetly, "this is my friend Makoto." Yuri bowed politely, which was more evidence to Ami that he'd been in Japan for most of his formative years. "That's her husband Sanjuro, and her children Akiko and Ichiro." Yuri bowed to Sanjuro, then nodded to the kids.

"Hi, there," Makoto smiled, crouching so she was eye-level with the boy. "I kind of know what you're going through. I lost my parents when I was young, too. If you ever need anything, or you just want to talk, I'm right here."

"Thank you," Yuri replied shyly.

Entering the Royal Chambers, they all found Setsuko sitting on the sofa waiting for them. The girl's face lit up when she spotted Serenity and Endymion, but her pleasure dimmed when she saw Yuri.

"Setsuko-Chan," Serenity said hopefully, "this is Yuri Sakarov. He's going to be staying with us for a little while because he just lost his parents."

Ami surreptitiously observed Setsuko's reactions, looking for warning signs. But the seven year old pushed off of the sofa and walked over to Yuri.

"I'm sorry you lost your parents," Setsuko told him earnestly. "I lost mine, too. That's why I live with Usagi-Mama and Mamoru-Papa. They've been great to me and I think you'll like them a lot, too." She looked up to Serenity. "Is Yuri-Kun staying with us for good?"

"Well, we don't know yet," Serenity replied.

"Well you'll like living here, for as long as you're here," Setsuko told Yuri. "Maybe that way, you won't miss your parents too much. Usagi-Mama and Mamoru-Papa won't be as good as being with your parents, but they're the next best thing."

"Are you hungry, Yuri-Kun?" Serenity asked. "I can have something sent up if you are."

"No," the boy sighed. "I'm - - kind of tired."

"I'll show you to your room," Serenity said and led the boy off. Endymion turned to Ami.

"The boy still seems to be in shock," Ami judged. "How he behaves over the next few days will be indicators as to how he is coping with this tragedy." She turned to Setsuko. "And my compliments to you, Setsuko-Chan. You handled that very maturely."

"It's what Mama would have done," the little girl shrugged.

* * *

On the top floor of an office building overlooking The Ginza were the offices of Motoguri Enterprises. It was a seemingly respectable business dealing mostly in currency and securities exchange as well as some entertainment ventures. But the Tokyo Police knew differently, in that it was the headquarters for the Yakuza Motoguri Clan. Unlike other clans that operated out of an ornate estate, the Motoguri Clan preferred to give off the image of a respectable business. It was a concession to modern Japanese society and also allowed them easier access to the financial resources they dealt in.

This had all been the brainchild of Endo Motoguri, fourth generation head of the Motoguri Clan and a man who looked more at home in an accountant's office. He was fifty-one, with thinning black hair, big black horn-rimmed glasses and a thin physique. During his father's reign, the Motoguri had been standard Yakuza, dealing in gambling, drugs, extortion and the occasional murder for hire. When Endo ascended to the top, he began moving the clan away from its traditional trappings and its traditional revenue sources. They still dealt in drugs, gambling and extortion, but Endo expanded into money laundering and corporate raiding, isolating the more violent aspects of the clan's business. And in fifteen years, the Motoguri Clan had become one of the top players in Japan. Some estimated the top player with the semi-retirement of Yoshiki Morobishi and his clan's reduced activities.

And it was enough to keep them below the radar of the King and Queen of Japan. For if a Yakuza wanted to operate in Tokyo, he kept a low profile.

Above the top floor of the office building, a penthouse had been built. That was where Endo Motoguri lived, with his wife of twenty-five years. Their sons were out of the nest, one in his third year at Tokyo University and the other working on a post-graduate degree in business management. Theirs was a marriage of convenience now: she had given him two sons, so he allowed her to spend his money as she pleased and the two had only minimal contact with each other. That evening, she was out and he was absently watching the news channel while he worked a sudoku puzzle. The flash of a "breaking news" header on the screen caught his attention and Motoguri looked up. Minutes later there was a knock on the door.

"Motoguri-Sama," Gendo Ochiro said as he entered the room. Gendo was big and burly and old-school Yakuza. "There's been an incident at the theater here in The Ginza."

"Yes, I just heard about it on the news," Motoguri commented. "Some guy shot up the crowd waiting to see the ballet. Are we involved?"

"Well," Ochiro began, then hesitated. Motoguri realized he wasn't going to like the news. "The guy shot two of our street peddlers: Tohoyama and Fukudoke. Word from the police is that he shot up the crowd with Tohoyama's piece."

"Was he a user or was it an ambush?" Motoguri asked.

"Don't know yet. That new bunch in Chiyoda-Ku has been giving us some trouble recently. Maybe this is them."

"Find out," Motoguri told him. "I want to know how much blow-back this is going to cause. If it is Chiyoda, we'll deal with it. But if it's something that's going to get the Crystal Palace involved, I want to know ahead of time."

"If it is Chiyoda," Ochiro asked, "we're going to hit them back, right?"

"Yes, but carefully," Motoguri told him. "This is a new Japan. The old ways don't always work anymore. You have to be measured in your response - - calculated. Bodies start piling up and we'll have Sakurada and Queen Serenity interfering. Now get me all you can find out about this."

Ochiro left. As he walked down the hall to the elevator, he lamented the old days. Being old-school, he obeyed his Oyabun. But things were a lot more satisfying in the old days. A Yakuza knew the rules then.

* * *

The next morning, Ami, Rei and Makoto were gathered in Endymion's office. Upon their arrival, Endymion's first question was the whereabouts of Minako.

"Blondie's in Kobe with Tatsuo," Makoto informed them. "He's on a shoot and she just 'had' to tag along."

"Afraid he's going to get seduced by some starlet?" Rei asked with an arched eyebrow.

Makoto chuckled. "Actually, she's afraid she's going to get seduced by Ace. That girl's trying to put up a brave front, but Artemis ratted her out to me. She's convinced that he's going to try something and the more time passes, the more paranoid she gets."

"Perhaps she has reason to worry, given their history," Ami mused. Rei nodded.

"Well, we'll just have to soldier on without her," Endymion replied.

"How was Yuri-Kun's night?" Ami inquired.

"Serenity went into his room about ten-thirty and found him crying," Endymion sighed. "She sat with him for a while and finally put him to sleep with the Crystal." The King expelled air. "This is bringing back a whole lot of bad memories for me that I don't really want to relive. I can just imagine what he's going through."

"Yeah," Makoto and Rei said simultaneously. They glanced at each other, then looked away in embarrassment. Just then Luna and Artemis entered.

"You've found something?" Endymion asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Luna replied crisply. "Artemis worked quite diligently, now that he's free from distraction, and came up with quite the detailed background on the Sakarov family." She turned to Artemis, who took the signal and leaped up onto Endymion's desk.

"Yuri Sakarov, eight," the cat began, "born in Tambov, Russian Federation, on August 6, 2008. Of course I'm giving his physical age, since he was frozen for two years just like everybody else. Moved to Moscow in 2010 and then to Tokyo in September of 2015."

"He has Japanese culture and language down pretty well for only being here three years," Endymion commented.

"Parents are - - were - - Sasha and Veronika Sakarov. They were agronomists attached to Sushimi Agriculture here in Japan. They were hired just after the ice disaster to help restore Japan's agricultural infrastructure and decided to stay on at Sushimi afterwards. Before that, they were employed by the Federation Agricultural Collective in Moscow."

"Why come here?" Rei asked. "I figure after the ice disaster, Russia had its own problems."

"It was an exchange Japan did with several nations," Ami explained. "Russia had a surplus of agronomy experts, so they allowed some to move to other countries. Japan did the same with manufacturing experts. It was all designed to cooperate with other countries and help everyone get back onto their feet."

"Relatives?" Endymion asked Artemis.

"Sasha had an older brother who died in the Russian army in Crimea a few years ago," Artemis continued. "His parents died in the ice disaster. So did Veronika's. She has a brother who lives in Tambov, but he's doing a stretch in a Russian gulag, charged with fraud and corruption."

"So there's no immediate family?" Endymion asked. Artemis shook his head.

"What are your plans, Your Majesty?" Luna asked. "Because if I know Her Majesty, she's already decided what she'd like to do." Rei scowled and nodded her head.

"Given the family situation, Serenity adopting him might be the best thing," Endymion replied, "if he has no urge to return to Russia. And given that he hasn't seen Russia since he was five, he may not."

"Problem solved," Makoto smiled.

"Not necessarily," Endymion countered. "We still have to inform the Russian government of the deaths of the Sakarov family, and they might take the position that Yuri needs to be returned to Russia."

"Even if he doesn't want to go?" Makoto gasped.

"Well, that would be the dilemma," Endymion sighed, easing back into his chair.

"And even that might not be as difficult as prying the boy loose from Her Majesty," Luna scowled.

* * *

Later that morning, Yuri was in the Palace clinic with Serenity. She'd sent Setsuko off to school, then coaxed Yuri up to the clinic at Ami's suggestion. As Ami examined the boy, Serenity hovered like a mother hen.

"Breathe in," Ami requested as she listened to the boy's chest with a stethoscope. Reflexively Serenity breathed in with him. "Now exhale."

"How is he, Ami-Chan?" Serenity fretted.

"Lungs are quite healthy," Ami said, trying to put Serenity and Yuri at ease. "Were you attending school here, Yuri-Kun?"

"No," he answered reluctantly. "My mother was home-schooling me."

"An interesting choice," Ami observed. "Was it a family choice or didn't your parents trust the Japanese educational system?"

"Mom," he began, then corrected himself. "My mother thought she could do it better. I don't know."

"Did you have very many friends here, since you didn't go to school?" Ami inquired as she gently probed around the boy's neck and chin.

"A few," he shrugged. "We'd play futbol in the street or at the local park."

"Did you like it here in Japan?" Ami asked as she peered in his ear with an ear probe.

"It's all right," Yuri answered with a non-committal tone.

"Do you like it better than Russia?"

"I don't really remember Russia," Yuri responded. "My Dad liked Russia. He missed it a lot." Yuri's eyes began to water. "He was always talking about it. I always wanted to see Moscow because of the way he . . ."

The boy stopped and wiped at a tear with the heel of his hand. Instantly Serenity was next to him, hugging him to her. The boy stayed pressed up to her breast for a few moments, then eased away. Serenity stroked his blond hair.

"I apologize for upsetting you, Yuri-Kun," Ami offered. "I realize this is a trying time for you."

"Is he all right, Ami-Chan?" Serenity asked.

"Physically, he's very healthy," Ami replied. She turned to Yuri. "You've done a fine job growing up so far." She turned back to Serenity. "Of course, mentally he's very depressed. That's to be expected."

"So what do I do?" Serenity asked anxiously. Ami smiled.

"Everything you've been doing," she replied. "I can't think of a better tonic for him than you right now."

Serenity beamed happily.

"So tell me, Yuri-Kun," Ami ventured cautiously. "What do you think you'd prefer to do: stay here in Japan or go back to Russia?"

Yuri tensed, but Ami put her hand on his shoulder.

"You don't have to make a decision right now," she told him. "I'm just putting the question to you so you can think about it, and when you're ready you can decide."

He glanced at Serenity.

"I said you can stay here as long as you like, and I meant it," Serenity told him. "But whatever you decide is what I'll abide by." She leaned in and hugged the boy once again. "But I'm already pretty attached to you and I'd love to have you stay permanently."

Just then, there was a knock on the exam room door. Ami answered it and found Luna standing outside.

"Forgive my intrusion, Doctor," Luna said. Ami could instantly see by the cat's expression and body language that she had bad news. "Your Majesty, may I speak with you outside?"

"Only if you stop calling me 'Your Majesty'," fussed Serenity. Luna was clearly irritated, but said nothing. "Is it important?"

"I believe you'll want to know this," Luna replied in controlled tones, "but it can wait if absolutely necessary."

"Oh, all right," Serenity sighed. "Ami-Chan, when you're done with Yuri-Kun, could you escort him back to the Royal Chambers?"

"Of course, Serenity," Ami nodded. "I think we're done here, Yuri-Kun. Would you like to go back to the Royal Chambers or would you like to see more of the palace?"

"The Royal Chambers, if you don't mind," he said, his tone flat and depressed. Ami took him by the hand and gently led him out of the clinic.

"That poor boy," Serenity whimpered. "I wish there was something else I could do. But I know I can't go too far. I learned that with Setsuko-Chan." She stared at the door for moments after he was gone. "Now what was so important, Luna?"

"The palace just received word from the Tokyo Police department, concerning the gentleman who precipitated all of this," Luna began. Then she noticed the Queen's perplexed look. "The man from last night with the gun."

"Well why didn't you say so?" Serenity huffed. Luna clenched her teeth, but let it pass.

"According to police and hospital officials, the man with the gun, Ayoshi Katagara, woke this morning," Luna explained. "Reportedly he remembered what he'd done during his withdrawal-induced rampage."

Serenity stopped and looked down at the black cat.

"Apparently he was so overcome with guilt over what he'd done," Luna began, anticipating Serenity's reaction, "that he - - jumped - - from his hospital room on the ninth floor."

The Queen's gasp was audible.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty," Luna said softly.

"Luna," Serenity asked in barely a whisper, "what was the name of that Yakuza clan that was involved?"

"I believe it was the Motoguri Clan in Chuo-Ku," Luna replied. "Your Majesty, you're not planning . . ."

But Serenity was already gone.

Continued in Chapter 3


	3. Ultimatim

HOUSE OF CARDS  
Chapter 3: "Ultimatum"

By Bill K.

* * *

Rei Hino ushered one of the kitchen workers out of the shrine she operated inside the walls of the Crystal Palace. The woman had come to Rei seeking a good luck charm, but mostly she had been seeking a sympathetic ear. The woman's husband seemed to be losing interest in their marriage and she feared she was soon to lose him to another woman. Using a combination of her life experience, her ability to read people and the times she'd watched her grandfather counsel someone, Rei tried to reassure her, tried to give her a few suggestions on how to recapture waning love, and sold her just the charm needed to help the gods look with favor on the marriage. After the woman left, Rei sank back against the wall and exhaled.

"Oh, I hope I helped that woman!" Rei exclaimed. "Giving advice on matters of love is NOT my strong point." She snorted. "Because what do I know about love?"

The door slid open and Rei looked, fearing for a moment that she'd been overheard. But it was Makoto. Their eyes met and at once Makoto seemed awkward.

"What's up?" Rei asked. "Has there been a new development on last night's shooting?"

"Not that I've heard," Makoto responded. Then she grew awkward again. Rei read it was concerning Akiko, but she kept quiet. "I, um, wondered if I could, well, ask you something."

"Always," Rei grinned. "Come in. Sit down. I'll get some tea."

Sitting at a table, Makoto watched Rei pour some tea into cups. Of course Rei used the traditional manner. Knowing how traditional Rei was, Makoto nodded, picked up the cup with both hands and sipped.

"I would have served cookies, too," Rei smiled, "but they're store-bought and I didn't want to insult you."

"Am I that fussy?" Makoto grimaced.

"About some things," Rei shrugged. "Now what did you want to ask me about?"

Makoto's broad shoulders slumped and she emitted a deep sigh of frustration.

"It's Akiko," Makoto replied. "She's always been willful and independent and argumentative," and Makoto paused, trying to drag the words out of her soul, "but anymore it's like everything San-San or I do or say just sets her off."

"You're exaggerating," Rei gently cautioned.

"Doesn't seem like it. Is she like that with everyone?"

"I've never had a problem with her," Rei said. "She's very cooperative with the staff. She's very respectful of Ami, and Minako is a god to her. And naturally Serenity is her favorite aunt."

"Then what am I doing wrong?" Makoto pleaded. "Why are San-San and I her jailers and not her parents? Where did I lose that respect?" She took another drag of tea. "You know what I went through - - how I was before I met Serenity. If she's going through the same thing, I want to know so I can head her off before she does something she'll have to live with the rest of her life."

"I don't think it's the same thing."

"Then what?"

Rei inhaled. "Makoto, she's at that time of life when she's beginning to spread her wings. She wants to fly on her own. She wants to be Akiko, not Makoto's daughter."

"So what am I supposed to do, stop being her mother and just let her run wild?" Makoto gasped.

"No," Rei assured her. "Because Akiko may think she knows what she's doing, but we know she doesn't always. Not yet." She sighed. "Oh, I wish Grandpa was here. He knew when to let me make my own way and when to pull me back. And he did it gently, with a bit of wisdom or a look. Makoto, he had this look that said 'I think you're making a mistake, but I'll let you decide'."

"Did you listen?"

"Not always," Rei chuckled. "That's part of being a parent, too. Sometimes they're going to defy you. You have to pick your battles. Give in on the small stuff so she thinks she has some control. But put your foot down if she's going to jump off the palace tower to prove she can fly. And realize that sometimes you have to be the bad guy. She may not always like you, but she does love you."

"It's hard to believe sometimes," Makoto sighed. "OK, Rei, I'll try it your way. Maybe I do grip the reins too tight. I just want to protect her."

"I know," Rei sympathized. "But sometimes you have to let her try and be there to pick her up if she falls."

"OK," Makoto sighed. Then she grinned at Rei. "Good tea."

"The supreme compliment," Rei grinned back.

As Rei ushered her friend out, though, guilt burdened her. She knew what else was bothering Akiko besides teenage independence. But it wasn't her place to tell Makoto.

* * *

Endo Motoguri was in his office, studying a newspaper report on the shooting in The Ginza. Earlier he had received a full report from his lieutenant, Gendo Ochiro, on exactly what had gone down. The loss of two street level operatives was unfortunate, but the least of his concerns. They could be easily replaced. The three civilians who died from an addict using the gun of one of those operatives was the real bad news. That was going to bring heat from Sakurada, possibly even the Palace. He had already put the word out through Ochiro for everyone to lay low, scale back, clean up anything that could be used against them and above all stash the guns.

Motoguri tried to concentrate on the news report, comparing it to what he'd been told to see how much the public might know about what really happened. But Ochiro's reaction lingered in his mind. Ochiro was Yakuza for fifteen years and clearly chafed at the instructions he had handed down. What Ochiro and a lot of the rest of the clan didn't understand was the tightrope Motoguri was walking. Twentieth century Yakuza methods weren't always going to work in this new era. Tactics had to change.

But few things were as slow to change as a veteran Yakuza.

"Pardon me," a gentle voice broke the silence of the room. "Are you the one in charge of all of this?"

Motoguri looked up and found Queen Serenity herself standing on the other side of his desk. In his shock and alarm, his first reaction was to press the emergency buzzer under his desk. He wanted to reach for the pistol he kept in his desk drawer, but caught himself at the last moment.

"I apologize for startling you," Serenity said with an amazing lack of guile. "Are you the head of this group?"

"Y-Yes," he stammered. "Endo Motoguri. You, um, honor me with your presence, Serenity-Hime."

At that moment, three veteran Yakuza toughs burst into the room, guns drawn and pointed directly at the Queen. Ochiro was behind them. They were all surprised to see who was there, but didn't betray that emotion. Serenity turned to them, sighed peevishly, and waved her hand in a semi-circle. Instantly the pistols began to dissolve into mist.

"I'm not here to hurt you, Motoguri-San," Serenity told him. "I only want to talk. Are you aware of what happened in The Ginza last night?"

"Yes, I'm aware," Motoguri replied cautiously. "Those two men were acting independently and without sanction of the company."

Serenity sighed patiently. "I didn't come here to arrest you. I know there are some things that you in the Yakuza do that I don't approve of. However, I allow it because it's a choice between two people and people in general aren't hurt." She darkened. "Selling drugs doesn't really fit that example. And carrying guns certainly doesn't. So I'm here to ask you to stop doing it - - for the good of everyone."

Motoguri sat back in his chair. "You've no proof that this company is dealing in illicit drugs. As I said, those men were acting on their own, independent of us. As for the guns - - I realize it's against the law, but we deal in large sums of money here and we need to guard against thieves."

Serenity shook her head. "Motoguri-San, I'm not here to play games. I'm not interested in jailing you or exacting some sort of revenge or anything like that. Four people are dead - - six, counting your two employees. That means this has to stop; the guns and the drugs have to stop so other people don't get hurt. I'm asking you to put a stop to it before anyone else gets hurt."

"Four? The news reports said three," Motoguri questioned.

"That poor man who committed the shooting killed himself this morning," Serenity said softly. Motoguri thought for a moment she would begin weeping. "Will you help stop it?"

"I don't see what I can do," Motoguri said stonily. "As I told you, we're not involved in any of this. There's no proof . . ."

"Please," she interjected, putting a dainty hand down on the desk and leaning forward, "think about what happened. Consider what I'm asking. I hope you can find it in your heart to change your mind. The world will be a better place. And your life will be richer for it."

And with that, the Queen faded from view. A moment later, it was if she was never there. Motoguri slid open his desk drawer. His pistol was gone. He hadn't fooled her at all.

"So what now, Boss?" Ochiro asked.

"Same orders," Motoguri replied. "They've got nothing on us. Don't give them anything by being stupid."

"Boss, this is how she shut down the clan in Minato-Ku!" Ochiro exclaimed. "She's coming for us next! And she doesn't need proof!"

"What do you suggest? We assassinate her? It's been tried," Motoguri shot back. "We lay low, this will blow over. Especially if something else knocks this out of the headlines."

Ochiro seemed to think for a moment.

"Your call, Boss," he said. Turning to the others, he herded them out of the office. Something Motoguri said had given him an idea. But he knew Motoguri was too conservative to approve it.

So he just wouldn't tell him.

* * *

King Endymion and several of his diplomatic advisors sat in a palace conference room listening on speaker to a phone ring. The call was to the Russian Embassy in Tokyo, specifically to the Russian Ambassador to Japan, Anatol Kureloff. After reaching the embassy switchboard, their call had been put on hold.

"Insulting," grumbled one of the diplomats.

"Maybe he's occupied with something important," Endymion suggested. "Perhaps he has the Russian President on the other line. You wouldn't expect Kureloff to put HIM on hold."

That's when the phone started ringing. After two rings, the ambassador picked up.

"King Endymion," Kureloff said respectfully. "We were expecting a call from your government, but not from you yourself."

"Then you know about what happened last night in The Ginza," Endymion concluded.

"Only what I've heard on the news. Was there more to it?"

"Not for the two Russian nationals killed," Endymion told him. "According to the final police report, they appear to have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. We will, of course, forward you a copy of the official report."

"For which we are grateful," Kureloff replied. He seemed relieved.

"Your office can coordinate with the city morgue on the disposition of the bodies. Please let us know if there is anything we can assist you with concerning this."

"That is very kind of you," Kureloff asserted. "I see in their file that they had a child. Where is that child now?"

"My wife is personally sheltering Yuri Sakarov here in the palace," Endymion explained.

"Oh?" Kureloff said and everyone in the room could hear the suspicious tone of his voice even over the speaker. "Is that your usual procedure or do you have some interest in the boy?"

"Our only interest is Sakarov-Kun's safety and well-being," Endymion assured him. "By coincidence, my wife and I were in the area last night and witnessed what happened. She immediately sought to care for the boy in lieu of his parents. This has been a very traumatic experience for him."

"I see," Kureloff replied a little gruffly. "Well, your interest in his welfare is commendable. We'll be taking custody of him, though. Two officers of the embassy will come over and take charge of him."

"To take back to Russia?" Endymion asked.

"Why not? He's a Russian citizen."

"Because he's more familiar with life in Japan," Endymion reasoned. "Because being taken from familiar surroundings and brought to an unfamiliar country may traumatize him even further. And because he doesn't have any relatives who are in a position to care for him."

"You seem to have taken a very close interest in this family," Kureloff bristled. "I find that disturbing. What exactly were you looking for?"

Endymion exchanged puzzled looks with his diplomats.

"The best alternative for the boy," Endymion replied. "If he had immediate family in Russia, we intended to place him there. Since he doesn't, I'm inclined to leave the choice up to him."

"He's a boy!" barked the ambassador. "How would a boy fend for himself alone?"

"We are considering adopting him," Endymion stated. There was silence on the line.

"I must consult with my government," Kureloff said finally. "Take no actions until then. This is not resolved."

And the phone went dead.

"Now you know what we have to go through with the Kuril Island negotiations," snorted one of the diplomats. "The moment a Russian doesn't get his way, he becomes intractable."

"That's a generalization," Endymion said thoughtfully. "But the mood of the call did change suddenly, didn't it?"

"About the time he learned you'd checked into the family," another of the aides surmised. "Almost like there's more to this Sakarov family than first thought."

"That was my impression," murmured Endymion. "Gentlemen, thank you for your attendance. I get the feeling I may need your assistance on this matter in the future. But for now, we can adjourn."

After the room cleared, Endymion leaned forward and pressed a button on his phone.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Luna replied crisply.

"Is Artemis available?" Endymion inquired. "I have a task for him."

* * *

The phone rang on Superintendent Sakurada's desk. She expelled an impatient sigh; it was the first time all day that she'd had a few minutes to take a break. Putting down the fan magazine turned to the "inside exclusive" of married life between Tatsuo Hiroyuke and Minako Aino, Sakurada pressed the flashing button and brought the phone to her ear.

"Superintendent, we received a report from TV Asahi's newsroom of a terrorist threat," the voice she recognized as Detective Sergeant Hirogama. All thoughts of the magazine article were forgotten.

"What's the threat against?" Sakurada asked.

"No specific target, Ma'am," Hirogama responded. "Just a general threat against the Royal Family. It demands that they abdicate and restore the Emperor to power or else innocent citizens will suffer."

"The Emperor abdicated willingly," Sakurada marveled. "And why . . .?" She shook her head. "Have we determined the threat to be credible?"

"No verification yet, Ma'am," Hirogama replied. "We're working with the Self-Defense Force's Anti-terror unit, but it's hard to nail down. The group only identified itself as 'The Divine Army' and nobody has a record of intel on them."

"Which means it might just be a prank or an attempt for attention," muttered Sakurada. "Follow that line of inquiry, Hirogama-San. Pull extra detectives if you need them. And continue to coordinate with the SDF. The sooner we find out either way whether this is a credible warning, the more decisively we can act."

"Yes, Ma'am!" Hirogama exclaimed. Sakurada hung up. Now she had to let the palace know. If only her V-Chan wasn't in Kobe; she'd much rather take it to her than to King Endymion and Queen Serenity.

For some reason, she always felt bad when she did something to upset Queen Serenity.

* * *

At the Crystal Palace, Endymion and Serenity were discussing her meeting with Endo Motoguri.

"His guards drew guns on you?" Endymion asked pointedly.

"I turned them into smoke," huffed Serenity. "The guns, I mean, not the guards! I was perfectly all right!"

"I can't help it," Endymion told her, nuzzling her from behind with his arm around her waist. "I worry."

"It's all right. I like it that you worry," Serenity smiled. "Of course, Motoguri-San denied any involvement with the shooting, which I believe. And the drug-selling, which I would like to believe, but I really can't. Why do people do that? Is money THAT important?"

Endymion kissed her neck.

"You give me shivers when you do that," Serenity sighed. "Anyway, I asked him to stop selling drugs and to stop giving his people guns. Maybe he'll listen."

"We'll give him the chance," Endymion told her. "Anything that happens after that, the consequences are of his making."

"I just wish I could turn all the guns into smoke," Serenity whined. "Endymion, why don't I?"

"Will that solve anything, or will people just find a new way to get them?" her husband asked. "Unless you're going to make all the guns in the world disappear?"

"I'm not sure I'm THAT powerful," Serenity grimaced.

"And even if you did, some people would just find other things to kill with," Endymion sighed, gripping her tighter from behind. "I don't think forcing your will is a long-term solution. They have to want to change."

"But how many people die in the mean time?" Serenity groaned.

Endymion pulled away. Serenity turned to see why and found him putting his cell phone to his ear.

"Superintendent," he said. "Is this concerning the Ginza shooting or is it something else?" He listened and Serenity saw him frown. "I see. Thank you for keeping me informed. If the Senshi have to get involved, please let me know." He closed the phone thoughtfully.

"Endymion?" Serenity asked. "What's wrong?"

"Someone sent a terrorist threat to TV Asahi," Endymion told her, "demanding our immediate abdication."

Continued in Chapter 4


	4. The Divine Army

HOUSE OF CARDS  
Chapter 4: "The Divine Army"  
By Bill K.

* * *

In the Royal Chambers, Serenity knocked on the door to the room Yuri was staying in. She waited patiently for him to agree to her entry and only when it came did she venture in. The Queen found Yuri sitting at the desk browsing on the desktop computer. Rather than pictures of Russia, Serenity found him on a page for the Kawasaki Frontale, a Japanese Professional Soccer Team.

"Oh, is that your favorite team?" Serenity cooed.

"Yeah," Yuri replied. "I was just catching up on the latest news, since it's off-season." He suddenly turned to her. "That's all right, isn't it?"

"Of course," Serenity smiled. "Have you been to any of their games?"

"My Dad took me to one against Tokyo FC last summer," Yuri informed her. Then he clouded up.

"I'm sorry," Serenity offered.

"It's OK," Yuri murmured. "It seems like everything I do or say reminds me of them in some way." He sighed. "I wish they'd never gone to that ballet."

"It'll get better. I promise," Serenity said, her hand on his shoulder. "Well, I just stopped in to tell you that Setsuko-Chan is home from school, so we'll be serving dinner."

"All right," Yuri said and dumped the web page.

Out in the hall, Setsuko spotted Serenity. The seven-year-old ran up to her and the Queen knelt down to give her a hug.

"Mama, what's five times ten?" Setsuko chirped.

"Now, you know I'm not good with math," Serenity replied with a mock pout.

"It's fifty! We learned that today! I can multiply all the way up to twelve times!"

"No fair being smarter than your Mama!" howled the Queen.

Setsuko giggled. Serenity kissed her cheek and the girl ran to the dining room. Serenity got to her feet and glided for the dining room, but at the end of the hall, she turned to see if Yuri was coming. Spotting him approach, she waited and put her arm around him to escort the boy to dinner.

At the dinner table, Endymion and Setsuko were already waiting. Setsuko was outlining her day at second grade for the King and he listened intently. Yuri took a seat quietly across from Setsuko while Serenity sat down across from her husband. On cue, one of the kitchen workers came in with dinner on an ornate cart.

"Did Mako-Chan cook this?" Serenity asked eagerly.

"I'm afraid not, Queen Serenity," chuckled the server.

"Now, Serenity, you know Makoto has her own family to cook for," admonished Endymion.

"Oh well, it's probably almost as good," Serenity asserted. "We have a wonderful staff to feed us. Our only worry at the palace is getting too fat."

The family began eating, moans of culinary pleasure emerging from the Queen. As they ate, Setsuko turned to Serenity.

"When does Yuri-Kun go to school?" Setsuko asked innocently.

Serenity grimaced and the two children instantly sensed that they had stepped out of bounds.

"That hasn't been decided yet, Setsuko-Chan," Endymion told her gently. "Yuri-Kun is still an honored guest with us, but we're still trying to determine where he'll live. Once that's settled, then we'll determine where he goes to school."

"Sorry if I made you feel bad, Yuri-Kun," Setsuko offered. The boy nodded.

After dinner, Setsuko went off to do her homework, resisting Serenity's offer to watch cartoons. Yuri decided to wait until she was done, so they could watch together. That left Serenity and Endymion alone on the sofa.

"Did you talk to the Russians about Yuri-Kun?" Serenity asked.

"We had some discussions," Endymion began, trying to break the news gently. "They're position is that he should be returned to Russia."

"But he's be so much more comfortable here!" howled the Queen. "He'd have a family structure and two loving guardians who would look out for him . . .!"

"Dear," Endymion began, "it sounds like you've already adopted him in your mind."

"Is that bad?" Serenity countered. "I already love him, and Setsuko-Chan seems to have taken to him, too. Wouldn't you like a son?"

"I'm just saying that you're moving too fast," he told her. "Let's get things settled with his country and his parents' estate first, before we become too emotionally attached. I'd be fine with him staying with us. But if he can't, it's going to be harder to let go the more emotionally attached you become."

"Well I was never a fancy big-shot doctor, so I never learned how to emotionally detach," Serenity scowled. "I want Yuri to be part of our family. And I think the only other person who should have a say in that, other than you and Setsuko-Chan, is Yuri. And anyone else can, well, go stomp grapes!"

"Such language!" Endymion teased.

"I apologize, but that's the way I feel," Serenity replied. Then she smirked at him. "You can spank me later."

Endymion's response was cut off by the sensation of the palace momentarily trembling. Instantly the King was out of his seat and running to the Royal Chambers, where he kept a computer link to the office of Palace Security and to Superintendent Sakurada's office.

"Was that an earthquake?" Serenity gasped, trailing behind him.

"I don't know yet!" Endymion declared. The head of the guard for that shift appeared in real time on his computer screen. "We felt a tremor. What happened?"

"Your Majesty!" the guard responded. "There was an explosion across the street from the Palace! Police and fire crews are currently en route!"

"The Divine Army," Endymion heard Serenity whisper behind him.

* * *

Minako Aino stood far in the back of the set, away from where a film crew for the feature "Crusading Police Detective" was preparing a scene. She knew from experience to be quiet. She knew from experience to be unobtrusive. And one of the advantages of being on the set was that the crew was used to working with movie stars and there wasn't constant attention on her. She could just stand back and watch her husband Tatsuo ply his craft. One of the things she always did when she was on set was watch other actors work. Minako was always in search of some little trick or mannerism that could help her be a better actor and be worthy of the love her fans showered upon her.

"And action," the director said.

Cameras began rolling. Tatsuo picked up some papers from the desk and scanned them. Suddenly three burly men in dark suits burst into the room and quickly surrounded him. Tatsuo and the stunt actors proceeded to launch into the choreographed fight scene. Minako watched even more intently as Tatsuo and the stunt actors tried to convey that they were trying to kill each other without actually touching each other. After several minutes, Tatsuo's character was struck from behind, then pummeled by his attackers. They pulled Tatsuo's limp form up from the floor.

"Cut! Next camera setup! And makeup, get the actors presentable!" shouted the director.

Getting up, Tatsuo slid over to where Minako was, a makeup artist following with a pack of moist towelettes. The couple smiled at each other while the makeup artist dabbed at his face to remove dirt and old makeup.

"How'd I do?" Tatsuo asked.

"Your reaction was a little slow on some of those punches, Tat-Chan," Minako told him. "But you really sold the 'dangling limply' part. I almost cried."

"I guess you do love me," Tatsuo grinned. "Sochi-Sama wants to do four more camera setups for this scene. I hope I'm as energetic for the fifth take as I was for this one."

Minako shrugged. "Sochi-Sama knows action. I love all his pics. And he's certainly got the right leading man for this one."

"You know," Tatsuo began, "I thought you were just being paranoid by insisting on coming along on this trip. But I'm kind of glad you came now. Having you along is like having an acting coach and a loving companion rolled into one."

"And now you don't have any chance to give in to the groupies," Minako said with mocking bluntness. Tatsuo pulled away from the makeup artist and pulled Minako to him.

"Don't kiss her! You'll smudge!" gasped the makeup artist.

Tatsuo and Minako both grinned. Then Minako felt her cell phone vibrate in the pocket of her jeans. She pulled it out and glanced at a news alert flashing. Immediately her face went grim.

"What is it?" Tatsuo asked.

"There was an explosion outside of the Crystal Palace," Minako mumbled. Suddenly galvanized, she looked up at her husband. "I gotta go."

"Do what you have to do," he advised her. "I'll keep."

Minako nodded, kissed him on the cheek that hadn't been made up yet, then scampered off.

"And don't get seduced!" Tatsuo playfully called after her.

Minako turned, shot him an impatient look, then scurried off for the train station.

* * *

Across the street from the Crystal Palace, the area had been cordoned off by the police forensic unit and the fire department bomb squad. The press and the curious pressed against the barricades, hoping to hear or see something. Consulting with the lead detective and lead fire marshal were Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter.

"Preliminary indication is a car bomb," the fire marshal told them. He pointed to the burned out frame of what had once been a car. "No sign of a driver. The vehicle was probably parked in front of the store and detonated, either remotely or with a timer. There was enough heat from the explosion to catch the facades of the buildings."

Mercury engaged her visor. "Yes, I'm detecting construction grade dynamite combined with chemical fertilizer and gasoline that was in the trunk. Also fragments of a remote detonator." She summoned her computer. "I'm going to download my scans to you."

"So, you think it's this 'Divine Army'?" Jupiter asked.

"Could be," the detective replied. "Could be ISIS or Al-Qaeda. Could be some lone wolf with a grudge against the store. There aren't enough facts yet to draw a conclusion." He thought a moment. "Still, the timing with that note that TV Asahi got is pretty close together. But we'll know more when we can track down this car and some of those bomb parts."

Jupiter noticed Mars looking over the crowd that was observing them.

"See something?" she asked.

"No," Mars replied. "I was looking over the crowd to see if I could spot someone with an unusual interest in what happened."

"An excellent idea," Mercury said as she scanned the wreckage. "There is the possibility that this is the work of an arsonist." Jupiter gave her a blank look. "Some arsonists or bombers commit their crimes out of a psychological need. They set fires because they receive a psychological thrill from watching it burn. Though it's unlikely that the suspect would still be here this late, it's a worthy avenue to explore." She pressed a button on her Senshi computer, then looked at Jupiter and Mars. "The possibility also exists that the bomber has a grudge against the government and receives positive reinforcement by watching us wonder who and where he is."

"So what do you think it is?" Jupiter asked. But Mercury shook her head.

"Facts before speculation," she admonished. "Facts and evidence will lead you to the truth. Premature speculation can lead you away from it."

"I'm going to collect these sayings in a book," Jupiter joked. "And call it 'The Wit and Wisdom of Sailor Mercury'." Mars smiled. So did Mercury.

"Anything else we can learn here?" Mars asked. "Otherwise, I'm going to report back to Endymion."

"I want to continue to make scans of the area," Mercury replied. "You two go ahead, though."

"We should probably meet later," Jupiter suggested. "I'll bring pastry."

"There goes my diet," Mars sighed as they headed for the Palace grounds, ignoring the shouted questions of the press.

As they approached the front entrance to the palace, Mars saw her great Grandmother in her human form squatting near the entrance, tossing her divining stones onto the ground. The two Senshi approached her. She didn't acknowledge them, instead staring intently at the stones.

"Obaa-San?" Mars inquired, leaning forward with her hands braced on her knees. Jupiter squatted next to the old woman. "Do you see anything?"

"It's not clear," Moriko murmured. "There are clouds over this hearth. I can sense them. But the threat is not immediate. It lies in wait for the proper moment."

"It's in the Palace?" Jupiter demanded.

"No," Moriko shook her head. "It lurks in the city, watching," and Moriko frowned. "But with only one eye." She tossed the stones again. "I see a Ronin, masterless, working against this hearth."

"A Ronin with one eye?" Jupiter asked skeptically. She glanced at Mars.

"Maybe we could go inside, Obaa-San?" Mars suggested. "If we meditate on this in the shrine, perhaps an answer will come to us."

"If it will help you, Rei-Chan," Moriko said as she rose. Once again Jupiter was reminded that her outer appearance was an illusion, for Moriko looked eighty, but bounced up like someone Jupiter's age.

Inside the Palace, Mars and Moriko headed for the shrine. Jupiter was met on the stairs by Endymion.

"Did you learn anything?" he asked.

"Mercury's still scanning," Jupiter replied. Then she thought for a moment. "But maybe you should have the police check out guys with eye-patches."

* * *

"Artemis, are you still working on that project for His Majesty?" Luna marveled. She had entered their command center to find out the latest on the bombing, but found the white cat riveted to his computer, the pictures of Sasha and Veronika Sakarov on the screen.

"Yeah," sighed the cat. He reached up and rubbed a paw over his eyes. "And it's not progressing at all."

"He asked you to find any anomalies in the lives of the Sakarov mother and father," Luna leaped up next to him. "Haven't you found any?"

"No, everything I've uncovered supports what I already know about them. As far as I can see, they're two agronomists who just got unlucky."

"Being murdered in the street hardly qualifies as 'unlucky'," Luna replied. "You've quite the talent for understatement, Artemis." She headed for another computer. "Well if there are no anomalies, then come help me with this 'Divine Army' problem." She glanced at him. "Or get some sleep. You look quite done in."

"There's something about this that still bugs me, Luna," Artemis scowled. "Why were the Russians so touchy about the boy? And they haven't exactly been the soul of cooperation on my inquiries. I've had to hack most of what I've uncovered."

"Rampant nationalism, perhaps," Luna sighed. "Or perhaps they just don't like talking cats on computers."

"Then they better get used to it," Artemis replied. "We're not going anywhere." The cat sighed in frustration. "Maybe I should get some sleep. Unless you really need my help?"

"Your offer is appreciated, but I can manage," Luna replied. "Tend to your needs. A cat with bags under his eyes is quite unseemly looking."

"Maybe I can catch a few hours before Minako gets back in," Artemis exhaled as he jumped to the floor. "It's a cinch I won't get any after."

* * *

In the computer surveillance unit of the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Virginia, a technician was monitoring a screen. When the display changed, he signaled his supervisor.

"Change in status?" the supervisor, a neat and buttoned-down woman of thirty-six asked.

"They just logged off of their search," the technician, a dumpy youth of twenty-four in an ill-fitting white shirt and slacks replied. "They're pretty good, whoever they are. I'd call it fifty-fifty the Russians even detected the search. I only noticed it because we're monitoring them."

"How deeply were they digging?"

"Pretty deep. And the search was focused on a pair of Russian nationals named Sasha and Veronika Sakarov." He brought up a previously minimized window. "I've got their file here."

The woman leaned over his shoulder and read it.

"Should we tell them?" the technician asked.

"If it were up to me, yes," replied the supervisor. "What have the Russians done for us lately? It's not like we owe them anything. Besides, we're allies in good standing with Japan, despite the recent regime change." She sighed. "But that's not my call. All we can do it print out a report and kick it upstairs."

The technician immediately started preparing a report to print.

Continued in Chapter 5


	5. Scattered Pieces And Loose Ends

HOUSE OF CARDS  
Chapter 5: "Scattered Pieces And Loose Ends"  
By Bill K.

* * *

Daisuke Aramaki is copyright 2018 by Masamune Shirow

* * *

A cab rolled up to the front gate of the Crystal Palace. Immediately the front guards stepped out to meet whoever was inside. With the ruins of the shops still cordoned off across the street, the guards were naturally on edge. But the passenger who disembarked was an ordinary young woman dressed in jeans and a leather jacket against the December cold. She had short black hair and wore sunglasses even though it was evening. She took two steps forward.

"The Palace is closed for the evening," one guard challenged. "State your business, please."

Minako pulled her sunglasses down. "I live here," she smirked.

"Oh! Aino-San!" the guard exclaimed. "I didn't recognize you!"

"That's the whole idea, handsome," Minako chuckled and stepped past the guard. But before she stepped through the gate, the woman turned and surveyed the wreckage of what yesterday had been a sushi shop, a candy store and a shop that sold Sailor Moon and Royal Family souvenirs. Her mouth thinned.

Time to be serious.

"Hi, gang!" Minako said, entering the meeting room where the Senshi always congregated during a crisis. "Got here as soon as I could."

"You mean you actually left Tatsuo on his own in Kobe?" Makoto jested. Serenity and Endymion looked up from what they were looking at, but Ami continued to peck at a laptop. "Aren't you afraid some groupie will seduce him?"

"I know where my duty lies," Minako snorted. "Besides, Tat-Chan has me. Why would he want another woman?" She looked around. "So where's Rei? Fire reading?"

"Meditating with her great-grandmother," Makoto answered. "Moriko-Obaasan got a few impressions and they're trying to run them down."

"OK, fill me in. What happened?" Minako said as she slid into a chair.

"Somebody parked a late model Nissan crammed with dynamite and chemical fertilizer in front of the sushi restaurant across the street and detonated it," Endymion explained. "This was after TV Asahi received a demand from a group calling itself 'The Divine Army'. They want my and Serenity's immediate abdication and the Emperor reinstated."

"Anybody hurt?" Minako asked.

"Nine patrons and staff in the restaurant, six in the souvenir shop and three in the candy shop," Endymion related. "Plus six dead."

Minako shot a sympathetic glance at Serenity. She knew the Queen would be personally mourning every victim.

"Stay strong, Serenity," Minako offered. "We'll get them. So, any info on this 'Divine Army'?"

"Nothing," Ami spoke up, looking up from her computer. The screen shot of the bomb site reflected in her glasses. "This group has no history. It's as if it were created recently and this is its first act. Luna is working on the problem as well. The act is standard terrorism and the components of the car bomb are easy to obtain and difficult to trace. The police are checking for large purchases or disappearances of the type of chemical fertilizer used. They're also attempting to trace the Nissan used."

"Probably stolen," Minako shrugged.

"However, there is a great deal of online posting since the threat was sent to TV Asahi," Ami continued. "Online message boards, chat rooms and other social platforms are filled with posts supporting the group and its objectives. They appeared just as suddenly as the group did. And the number multiplied exponentially after the bombing."

"That's gratitude for you," frowned Makoto.

"There's some folks who don't like the person in power, no matter what they've done," Minako sympathized.

"It's just so terrible," Serenity moaned. "Why would someone cause that much death and suffering?"

"To get your attention," Minako suggested. "That's obvious. They made their demand, now they've shown you what happens if you don't take them seriously."

"But to hurt all of those people!" Serenity gasped. "Don't they care?"

"No. They only care about what they want, and they've shown they'll kill or maim anyone in their way." She scowled. "Sort of reminds me of those yakuza thugs in the club I sang at in the old, old days."

"You are of course assuming that the two acts are connected," Ami interjected. "That hasn't been established."

"Who else could it be?" Makoto asked.

"Someone with a grudge against one of the shop owners," Ami suggested. "And we've already discussed a serial arsonist. The fact that it was opposite the Crystal Palace may be a coincidence."

"We'll let the police handle those inquiries," Endymion said. "Concentrate on this 'Divine Army' angle. If it proves to be a dead end, so much the better."

Serenity rose. "Are we done? I want to check on Setsuko-Chan and Yuri-Kun."

"Yeah, what, it's been a whole half hour since you've seen them?" needled Makoto.

"Forty-five minutes!" protested the Queen. Then she realized what she'd said as everybody smiled. "Oh, hush."

"Let me join you, Serenity," Minako bounced out of her seat. "I want to meet the latest man of the palace."

Entering the Royal Chambers, they found Setsuko and Yuri sitting on a sofa watching a DVD of a movie. Setsuko turned to them and upon spotting Minako her face lit up.

"Aunt Minako! You're back!" she squealed. "What's ten times nine?"

"Huh, I haven't heard this riddle before," Minako smirked.

"It's not a riddle!" roared Setsuko. "It's a multiplication problem!"

"Ohhhhh," Minako nodded. "Sorry, Set-Chan, I was allergic to math in high school."

Waved over by Serenity, Minako bent down to Yuri, who was on the sofa looking at her suspiciously. Suddenly his suspicion turned to amazement.

"You were in 'Princess of Space'!" he gasped.

"Boy's got an eye for talent," Minako winked at Serenity.

"Do you know Tatsuo Hiroyuki?"

"I'm acquainted with him," smiled Minako.

"Could I get his autograph?"

"It could probably be arranged," Minako said. "Would you like mine?"

Yuri shrugged. Minako's right eye began to twitch.

"Sorry, Mina-Chan," Serenity whispered to her.

"It's OK," Minako whispered back. "He's suffered a tragedy. I attribute it to shock."

* * *

Two yakuza underlings sat in a bar. A full bottle of sake was placed on the table by a waitress wearing a very tight, short skirt and a tight blouse with a low bodice. The bottle joined the six empty ones that were already on the table.

"And then," one yakuza, Kuromoto by name, nudged the other one as he picked up the sake, "we get to the prescribed distance. Hineda pushes the button and," and he mimicked a mushroom cloud with his hands, "boom!"

"Pretty bold," the other yakuza, Mizuhara by name, "right in front of the palace. Did one of the shops not pay on time?"

"Wasn't a protection hit," Kuromoto shook his head. "Don't you read the papers? Oh, right, I forgot, you gotta know how to read."

"Get bent," snorted Mizuhara.

"The whole job was a con," Kuromoto said after he downed more sake.

"A con?"

"The boss wanted to get the palace off of our back," Kuromoto explained as he tried to focus. "They were talking about closing down our drug trade; maybe even closing down the clan itself."

"Just like they did in Chiyoda and Minato?"

"And that other one, the one who merged with the stone statue to get them," Kuromoto added. He scowled. "You can't beat Sailor Moon. Her Senshi are bad enough. But them and her AND the police - - you can't do it." He leaned in with a goofy smile. "So we tricked them. Boss sent in a letter to the TV news making like he's fronting this terrorist group. THEN we blow up the car. Now the palace and the police are chasing this terrorist group who don't exist and they're too busy to hassle us."

"Smart," Mizuhara nodded, "IF they don't track it back to you. What then?"

"We'll think of something else."

"Yeah. Still, all those people dead or hurt."

"Sometimes you have to break a few eggs," Kuromoto replied stone-faced.

Due to his intoxication, it was a few moments before Kuromoto noticed that his drinking partner was staring at something behind him. Then a hand came to rest on Kuromoto's shoulder. He sprang out of his chair and whirled on the person, his gun coming out of a concealed shoulder holster.

"B-Boss!" Kuromoto gasped. Gendo Ochiro was standing there. He betrayed no emotion, but Mizuhara got the impression that he could take Kuromoto's drawn gun with a single move if he wished. "Me and Mizuhara were just blowing off some steam."

"I didn't ask," Ochiro replied curtly. "Get out to the car - - if you can find it."

Kuromoto nodded and quickly made his way out of the bar. Ochiro gave Mizuhara a look to size him up, then turned and exited himself. Outside he was met by another underling.

"Kuromoto has a big mouth," Ochiro said. "Shut him up and make sure he's not found for a while."

"Right, Boss," the thug nodded.

"And get the one at the table, too," Ochiro added. "I don't want anyone talking out of turn about this."

The thug nodded. He turned to the driver of the dark luxury car and shook his head. It drove off. As the thug went into the bar, Ochiro began leisurely walking home.

* * *

It was nearly midnight. Luna was obsessively giving the palace a final look before she turned in for a while. She had worked on the problem of The Divine Army for much of the evening without much luck. Oh she had found plenty of chatter and plenty of wild theories posted and debated back and forth. It seemed like some boards were nothing but talk of them, pro and con.

But there was no information to be found at all. And after a while, frustration and disappointment over how many online posts seemed to take their side against Queen Serenity and the government she'd formed became too much for the black cat. When Artemis came to relieve her, she turned it over to him gladly.

"To think such resentment exists for Her Majesty," Luna muttered. "Why this country has never been more prosperous! The naked ingratitude of it all!"

Slinking into the Royal Chambers, Luna detected movement in the dark. Her red eyes pierced the dark as she crouched to move. But the bare feet on the floor were quickly recognized.

"Back-sliding, Your Majesty?" the cat said.

"GHAA!" the Queen gasped, stiffening. After a moment, she relaxed. "Luna, don't DO that!"

"It's been several years since you've yielded to the temptation of the midnight snack," Luna persisted.

"I'm not snacking," fussed the Queen. "I just - - wanted to check on Yuri-Kun. And Setsuko-Chan, as long as I'm up."

"Well, normally I'd chastise you for being over-protective," the cat said. "But the boy has been through a rough time. I suppose it wouldn't hurt - - as long as we're up."

"We?" Serenity asked as they padded down the hall.

"I'm concerned about the child as well," huffed Luna.

Silently Serenity pulled open the door to the room Yuri was sleeping in. The bed had been slept in, but he wasn't there now. Instantly Serenity turned and headed for the outer door.

"Your Majesty, where are you going?" Luna scampered after her.

"To look for him!" Serenity exclaimed. "Oh, I hope nothing's happened to him!"

"In your nightie?" the exasperated cat exclaimed. But Serenity disappeared out the door. "Oh, very well. I'll join you after I notify the palace guards."

The corridors of the palace were lit, but deserted at that time of night. Serenity glided down one corridor and up another, at a quickened pace. She thought at first to call out for Yuri, but didn't want to disturb anyone else, so she thought better of it. But as she passed the balcony on the east side of the floor, she heard voices. Gliding to the window, she found Yuri sitting in one chair and Rei in the other, gazing out at the view of Tokyo Bay.

"Sorry, Yuri-Kun," Rei said conversationally to the boy. "I really don't follow futbol that much. How about baseball? Do you like baseball?"

"It's all right," Yuri shrugged. "How did you get interested in baseball, Sensei?"

"An," Rei hesitated, "old friend showed me the game. I got interested mainly because of him, but he went back to America and I still follow it."

"Who's your favorite team?"

"The Giants, of course," Rei grinned. Yuri made a face. "Ohhh, one of those 'anybody but the Giants' types, huh?"

The two settled back and watched the bay at night. Serenity stood at the door and watched them, wanting to go to Yuri but fearing intruding.

"Why did they have to die, Sensei?" Yuri asked suddenly. He kept looking at the bay.

"It was their time, Yuri-Kun," Rei told him softly. "When my Kaasan died, I asked my Grandpa that and that's what he told me."

"Did it help?"

"Not a bit," Rei replied. "But as I've grown older, I've come to realize that there are things that happen in this world that we as humans aren't able to understand. It's knowledge that's only for the gods. 'It was their time' is the closest our human minds can come to grasping what the gods know. It won't make it hurt any less," and she sighed, "but one day it will help you come to terms with it."

The door slid open and Serenity glided out.

"Forgive me for disturbing you two," Serenity said meekly. "Yuri-Kun, aren't you cold out here?"

He pointed to a space heater near the door. Serenity glided over, knelt down next to him and hugged him.

"Couldn't sleep?" she asked.

"Hino-Sensei and I were just talking about," Yuri replied, "stuff. I'm sorry if I worried you, Queen Serenity."

"I'm going to worry no matter what, so there's no reason to apologize," Serenity told him. "If you want to stay and talk some more, you can."

"I think I'll go back to bed," he said and got up. Luna was there to escort him back to the Royal Chambers. Serenity rose to her feet as Rei got out of her chair.

"I sensed his turmoil," Rei answered the unasked question. "I was glad I could get him to open up. He's so lonely without his parents. And he's so confused about what's going to happen to him. Hopefully relating to another person will help him with that a little bit."

"Thank you, Rei," Serenity told her.

"Just doing what Grandpa would have done," Rei replied.

"Grandpa would have been proud of you," Serenity added.

* * *

The next morning was fairly normal for the Royal household. Setsuko was up first and got Endymion up. Endymion tried to wake Serenity up, but gave up after four attempts. Yuri was awakened by the activity and sat at the table while Endymion and Setsuko made breakfast. At Setsuko's invitation, Yuri helped prepare the eggs. Meanwhile Luna went in and attempted again to wake the Queen. There was much screaming and bellowing.

Finally Serenity emerged, frazzled, hair down and still half-asleep. As she headed for the door and school, Setsuko stopped, jumped up and kissed Serenity on the cheek. Endymion handed her off to her palace escort for the trip to school. Serenity sat down, greeted Endymion, greeted Yuri, greeted Setsuko (even though she was gone), then fell asleep at the table. She woke up again and began her meal, just as everyone else was finishing.

"Yuri-Kun," Endymion said, leading the boy to the common area of the chambers, "I didn't want you to fall behind on your school work while we're still negotiating with Russia about where you'll live." The boy winced at the mention of that, but nodded. "Ami has selected several computer courses that she feels will help you pick up where you were and keep you advancing."

"All right," Yuri nodded.

"Don't feel you'll be alone here," Endymion added. "Serenity plans to spend the day here. If you get lonely or feel overwhelmed, she'll be right there for you."

"Just don't ask her for help concerning your studies," Luna added, "for the sake of your grades."

Arriving at his office in the palace, Endymion prepared to take his usual morning briefing from his governmental staff. As he entered, he found someone waiting for him that wasn't usually part of the morning briefing.

"Minister Aramaki," Endymion nodded to the Director of Japan's Public Security Intelligence Agency. "Is there something brewing?"

"I have a communique I received that I thought you should see first, Your Majesty," Aramaki replied.

Endymion invited him into his office.

"We received this from the Director of Operations for Pacific Rim Affairs for the American CIA," Aramaki continued. He handed the message to Endymion. As he read it, Aramaki said, "According to them, the Sakarov man and woman were intelligence agents for the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service."

Continued in Chapter 6


	6. The Plots Of Others

HOUSE OF CARDS  
Chapter 6: "The Plots Of Others"

By Bill K.

* * *

Daisuke Aramaki is copyright 2019 by Masamune Shirow

* * *

"According to them, the Sakarov man and woman were intelligence agents for the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service."

Endymion looked up from the paper to Minister Aramaki, his expression one both of concern and astonishment. Reading the paper was momentarily forgotten.

"They're certain of this?" he asked.

"As certain as you can be in the intelligence business," Aramaki replied. "After all, other countries aren't in the habit of sharing their personnel files when it comes to their intelligence operatives. However, CIA did have them flagged as Russian operatives and they don't do that at Langley on a whim."

"And they're just now telling us?" Endymion responded incredulously.

"Well, a lot of times Langley only helps when they're asked or when it's in their best interests," Aramaki sighed. "And we didn't ask."

"So how do they benefit now?" Endymion asked, then shook his head. "We can worry about that later. Why would Russia plant spies in Japan?"

"Your Majesty," Aramaki began, as if talking to a child, "everyone has operatives everywhere. You can't garner intelligence by satellite alone. You still need people on the ground."

"So what were they doing?"

"We've just started working on that," Aramaki explained. "They could have just been here to report back on political, social or cultural shifts or trends in the country, information that couldn't be garnered from media reports. It's also possible that they were part of the Russian cyber-network, posting or reposting internet information that would forward Russia's political agenda in other countries." He frowned. "Or it's possible that they had a darker objective."

"Such as?" Endymion asked.

"Hard to tell, Your Majesty," Aramaki responded. "In this business, you don't discount anything without proof."

"And the son?" Endymion demanded. "Was he involved, too?"

"Doubtful. The boy's only, what, eight? Espionage is a dirty business, but it isn't THAT dirty. It's possible he knew his parents were operatives, but he probably wasn't involved."

"Probably?"

"Like I said, you don't discount anything. But he'd have to be some sort of prodigy to be a Russian agent at eight."

"You're probably right," Endymion exhaled. Aramaki could see his head was swimming. "Well, I'm going to have an impromptu meeting with the Russian Ambassador."

"Um, could I get you to hold off on that?" Aramaki requested. Endymion silently asked why. "It's likely that the Sakarov family weren't the only operatives Russia has in the country. We can try to find out how extensive their infiltration is with them as a starting point. But if Russia finds out that we're on to them, they'll pull everybody home and start over again. Act like we don't know anything yet and we can try to find out what their objectives were, too. And if it was something dangerous."

Endymion exhaled slowly. "I suppose we really should know. If we find out they're behind the disinformation campaign that's plaguing this country, maybe we can shut it down." He thought a moment. "All right, Minister. I'll hold off. But prioritize this. I don't like the idea of hostile outsiders hiding in this country."

Aramaki nodded and left.

"And I don't like the idea of adopting a boy who could be used as a weapon against us," he murmured.

* * *

Gendo Ochiro stood in the office of his Oyabun, Endo Motoguri, as Motoguri talked on the phone. It was the morning summary of the previous night's take. Profits and problems from the Moroguri Clan's gambling parlors, prostitution houses and drug sales - - the traditional revenue sources - - were reported so strategy decisions could be made. As he looked on, Ochiro could see Motoguri becoming more angry over the phone. Ochiro thought he knew why his Oyabun was angry, too.

"The pachinko parlors, Boss?" Ochiro asked as Motoguri slammed down the phone.

"No, the dealers are all complaining about the increased police presence," fumed Motoguri. "Why does that surprise them, after what happened in The Ginza two days ago? I know we employ some stupid people, but I didn't think they were that stupid!"

"They're hassling the dealers, too?" Ochiro asked.

"Four arrests," Motoguri reported. "Two for possession and two more for gun violations. I thought I put out the word not to go out carrying!"

"Dealers aren't comfortable out on the street without a gun," Ochiro explained. "Some of these speed freaks are so strung out that they can get violent."

"Yes, I remember what happened in The Ginza," Motoguri scowled.

"And not packing leaves them vulnerable to being jumped by a rival clan for their merchandise," Ochiro went on. "You don't let them carry, you won't have a lot of dealers."

"And if they do carry, that's one more charge the police can slap on them," Motoguri argued. "Sakurada's trying to put the squeeze on us, trying to get the soldiers to make stupid mistakes. She's already got four in just one night."

"We can beat those raps," argued Ochiro.

"That's not what I'm worried about," Motoguri snapped. "Sakurada gets enough on the clan, she'll go running to the Queen and we'll all end up in Fuchu Prison. I'm not doing a stretch in Fuchu because some dealer feels naked without his piece." He stood up and looked straight at Ochiro. "Tell them, Ochiro; no guns! We'll suspend drug trade if I have to."

"Then the other clans will move right in!" howled Ochiro.

"Maybe it's better that way," Motoguri said, sitting back down at his desk. "Maybe we need to make a clean break from it; concentrate on the financial end of the business."

Ochiro looked at his boss for a moment. Finally duty won out over passion and he bowed and left to carry out his orders. It didn't matter if he didn't like it, if he thought Motoguri was emasculating the entire clan just because he was afraid of a five foot tall blonde in a white gown. He'd give the order and take the heat from the lower echelon operatives.

But maybe it was time for The Divine Army to strike again, so Queen Serenity and Superintendent Sakurada had something to concern themselves with other than harassing their dealers and pachinko parlors.

* * *

Rei entered the room where Serenity maintained an office, although it was more of a drawing studio and lounge than anything. She was looking for the Queen, but she was looking more for the King, as she and her great-grandmother Moriko had seen a vision connected to the recent bombing. Entering unbidden, as Serenity always insisted she do, the priest found herself in the middle of a conversation that was far from pleasant.

"Spies?" she heard Serenity gasp. Using her ability to read people, Rei instantly garnered that they were talking about the Sakarov family.

"That's a general way of putting it," Endymion replied, "although what level of work they were doing for Russian Intelligence has yet to be determined.."

"That's impossible!" Serenity shook her head. "That can't be true! Why?"

"That's still to be determined, too," the King said.

"So you're just going to take the word of some person in America that we've never met that this is true?"

"Serenity, what do you really know about the Sakarov parents, other than they had a very bright, well-mannered son?"

"And that's another thing!" Serenity exclaimed. "How could someone who's a-a spy of all things raise a wonderful boy like Yuri-Kun?" Her eyes widened. "Endymion . . . you don't think that he had anything to do with this, do you?"

"Our intelligence service greatly doubts he was involved," Endymion assured her. "But it might be a good idea to - - segregate him in another part of the palace until we know more."

"Absolutely not!" Serenity barked. It was as angry as either of them could ever remember seeing her. "Endymion, he's just a boy! And he's suffered a terrible tragedy in his life! He needs love and kindness, not suspicion!"

"Serenity," Endymion began.

"NO!" snapped the Queen.

"Serenity, you don't know what espionage agencies are capable of," he argued. "Nobody knows. I don't want to wake up to find we've invited a Trojan Horse into our quarters. Not until I know for certain."

And Serenity did the one thing Endymion always feared her doing: she began to cry. Tears bubbled over eyelids and dribbled down porcelain cheeks and Endymion felt his will crumbling. Coupled with the look of betrayal in her wide blue eyes, the King felt like the smallest living organism on the planet.

"I'm just trying to protect us," Endymion pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Endymion," Serenity sniffed. "But a life built on cruelty is no life."

"Um, if I can interrupt," Rei began softly. The King and Queen turned to her. "I really didn't get any impressions of deception from Yuri-Kun when we were talking last night. If you'd like, I can talk to him again and really look. Maybe that will discover the truth one way or another and we can stop guessing."

"That would be greatly appreciated," Endymion replied with muted tones.

"Yes, thank you, Rei," Serenity sniffed.

"Happy to do it," she smiled.

"Was there something else you came in here for?" Endymion asked.

"Yes," Rei nodded. "Obaa-San and I pooled our abilities and together we had a vision. It was concerning The Divine Army. We think we might have a clue where they'll strike next."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Serenity exclaimed. "Maybe we can prevent them from killing anyone else!"

"Call Superintendent Sakurada and tell her what you've discovered," Endymion instructed. "If necessary, we'll assign some of the Senshi to be there as well. Anything to put a stop to this."

Rei nodded and left. Endymion turned back to Serenity. He wanted to apologize, but he felt there was nothing to apologize for.

"Endymion," Serenity began softly, "I'm sorry for being cross with you."

"I'm just trying to protect us," Endymion said. "I don't want it to be true, but I can't ignore the possibility."

"It's not true," Serenity told him and he so wanted to believe her. "But I should have understood your side."

"It's all right," he smiled, caressing her cheek. "You're just the mother tiger protecting her cubs - - even if one of the cubs technically isn't hers yet."

"I protect all cubs," Serenity smirked at him. Just then Endymion's pager went off. He walked over to the phone and dialed three digits.

"This is King Endymion," he said as Serenity looked on. "Yes, put him through. Ambassador Kureloff? What can I help you with?" Endymion listened. "Well, that's a very kind and generous decision. I'm glad to hear it. Please convey my thanks to your superiors. Was there anything else?" He listened again. "It was nice talking to you. Good-bye, Ambassador."

"What is it, Endymion?" Serenity inquired.

"Given the lack of suitable relatives in Russia, the Russian government has decided to let Yuri stay in Japan if he wishes," Endymion reported.

Serenity squealed with joy and leaped into the King's arms. He caught her and held her up against him. But he wondered about the sudden turnaround by the Russians. Was this really the good news Serenity thought it was?

* * *

"No, Tat-Chan, nothing new on this end," a disguised Minako Aino said over her cell phone. "Although we're working on a possible lead right now."

Minako stood by a bench overlooking Naru Park, while Rei and Moriko sat on the bench. Naru Park was a recently dedicated green space in the heart of the Minato-Ku business district, named in memory of the Queen's childhood best friend. Minako did everything she could not to stand out, wearing jeans and a split leather jacket with fleece lining, as well as her standard short hair black wig. If anything, Rei and Moriko stood out, Moriko dressed only in a winter kimono and Rei in her priest robes.

"My, there certainly a lot of police officers around," Moriko commented, surveying the street around the park. There were two dozen plain clothes police officers staked out around the park. Not everyone noticed them for what they were, but Moriko with the vision of a two-tailed fox did.

"I hope it doesn't scare the terrorists away," Rei replied. "I appreciate that Superintendent Sakurada wants to be thorough, but this might be too much of a good thing."

"No, I haven't seen any sign of him," Minako said into her phone, "but that doesn't mean he isn't lurking around somewhere. For all I know, he's behind this whole 'Divine Army' thing." She listened to the reply. "Oh, you think you're so smart, Ace!"

Rei glanced over at Minako. She saw the woman's eyes grow wide.

"Tat-Chan! I meant Tat-Chan! See how crazy he makes me?"

Rei shook her head while Moriko looked at her great-granddaughter.

"Yes, I'll be careful. You be brilliant. Bye, Tat-Chan," Minako said and hung up. She glanced at Rei. "And not a word out of you, Miss Smarty-Priest!"

"I wasn't going to say anything," Rei replied. "You wouldn't listen anyway. And you certainly don't need anyone else's help to screw your life up."

"Understanding and non-judgmental as always," Minako quipped, flopping down on the bench. "Hey, Obaa-Chan, you have any charms to ward off unwanted affection?"

"Obaa-SAN!" hissed Rei.

"It's all right, Rei-Chan," Moriko smiled. "In my experience, a pure heart is much more reliable than a charm or spell."

"Lets me out," scowled Minako.

"I'll see what I can find," Moriko replied.

Minako sighed. "I wish these guys would try already. I'm getting bored sitting here. You're sure they're going to hit here?"

"The vision was of vast green," Rei replied.

"That could be the Tokyo Dome," Minako argued.

"Serenity was there and she had her hand over her heart," Rei continued.

"And I saw snow burning," Moriko added. "Flowers poking up through the snow burning as well. Children threatened by a looming shadow, their lives and security menaced."

"Well that's sufficiently spooky," Minako nodded. "But what makes that Naru Park?"

"It's recently connected with Serenity," Rei explained. "It's important to her. It's usually green, but the snow indicates winter. And the park is a favorite place for children. While the fire is from the explosion of the bomb."

"I guess that makes sense," Minako shrugged. "But I'm not so sure that it narrows things down to Naru Park."

"What else could it be?"

"Well, where else do kids congregate?" Minako brain-stormed. "You're sure it's in this area?"

"It feels right," Rei nodded.

"OK, movie theater, amusement park, arcade," Minako rattled off. Then she grew serious. "School."

"It would have to be a school with a large area of grass and flowers," cautioned Moriko, "and one close to the Queen's heart."

"Elementary schools usually have a green space that . . ." Minako began.

"Elementary school!" Rei said suddenly. "The elementary school Setsuko and Ichiro go to is in this district! And its name is Hanabatake Elementary!"

Instantly Rei was off the bench and running across the street, heedless of traffic. Moriko and Minako were at her heels as she ran toward a car she knew was an undercover police vehicle.

"Go to Hanabatake Elementary!" she shouted to the two officers in the car. "Now!"

The car paused just long enough for the three women to get into the back, then roared off. Several more members of the stake out peeled off and followed. Though it was far too slow for their passengers, the police arrived at the elementary in just a few minutes. Fortunately it was after hours and the school was deserted.

Which made the sole car parked against the building stand out even more.

"Call the bomb squad!" Sailor Venus shouted as she and Sailor Mars jumped out of the car and headed for the car. "Hey, Mars, I don't suppose your sutras work on car bombs, do they?"

"I could just incinerate the entire car!" Mars shouted back. "Destroy the detonation device before it explodes!"

"Yeah, and explode all of that fertilizer that's probably packed into the car!" Venus shouted back.

Mars continued forward at a slower pace. She seemed to be searching for something.

"Don't get too close, Mars!" Venus shouted.

"If I can see the detonator, I can pierce it with a flame arrow!" Mars called back. "Then there won't be anything to detonate the explosives!" She stopped suddenly. "I see it! Mars Flame Sniper!"

The flaming bow and arrow formed in the Senshi's hands. Mars took a moment to locate her target.

And then the car exploded, throwing her backwards along a concrete sidewalk.

Continued in Chapter 7


	7. All Fall Down

HOUSE OF CARDS  
Chapter 7: "All Fall Down"  
By Bill K.

* * *

Sitting on the sofa in the Royal Chambers, Queen Serenity sat right in the middle, with Setsuko cuddled up on her right side and Yuri curled up on her left. On a large screen TV, the antics of a cartoon cat and mouse were playing. A huge bowl of popcorn sat in the Queen's lap, which all three munched on while a succession of animated shorts played. All three laughed at the images, none louder than the Queen herself.

"That was fun, Usagi-Mama!" exclaimed Setsuko after the show ended.

"Wasn't it?" Serenity grinned. "I always loved these cartoons when I was a girl. Although I always felt sorry for the poor cat."

"Well, if he wouldn't attack the mouse, he wouldn't get hit with the skillet so many times," Yuri concluded.

"And that's a good lesson," Serenity nodded to him. "Being mean to people will always get you hurt sooner or later."

"These are American cartoons?" Yuri asked.

"You've never seen them before?"

"Only Japanese cartoons," Yuri replied. "And when I was in Russia, I think only Russian cartoons. It's kind of hard to remember that far back."

"Well then you've got a treat," Serenity smiled, her eyes dancing. "I've a whole library of cartoons."

"She does!" exclaimed Setsuko. "She's even got a copy of 'The Dull Sword'!"

Yuri was about to respond, but both children stopped when they felt Serenity stiffen. Each child looked up anxiously.

"Oh no," Serenity whispered, staring out into nothing.

"Mama?" Setsuko asked.

"M-mama has to go, Setsuko-Chan," Serenity mumbled distantly. "You and Yuri-Kun go find Luna - - or-or go over to Mako-Chan's."

Yuri was about to speak again, but Serenity levitated into the air and out through the ceiling of the room. He stared up anxiously at where she disappeared. Then he felt Setsuko's hand on his.

"Come on, Yuri-Kun," she told him with the eerie calm of a veteran of these things. "We'd better go over to Ichiro-Kun's place like Mama said to."

* * *

The force of the explosion had knocked Sailor Venus off of her feet. As she tried to push herself off of the concrete sidewalk, dust and smoke surrounded her and obscured most of her vision. The smoke was thick, black mixed with white. To her left, through the haze, she could see an orange fireball. Struggling to her feet, Venus searched through the smoke and haze, looking for her fellow Senshi.

"Mars!" Venus yelled.

The was no answer. She took several steps forward, though the thinning haze. The outline of the elementary school was visible now. The entire side of the building was obliterated and the roof partially caved in. Venus coughed, her lungs and throat assaulted by the smoke and dust. The fire was more visible now. It was the car, now just a frame engulfed by orange fire. Venus sensed something on her right and found Moriko there.

"Do you see her?" Moriko asked frantically. She was scared by the fire, as any animal would be, but she was more frightened for the fate of her great-granddaughter.

"Hard to see anything," Venus choked out. By now the roof of the elementary school was on fire and the fire was spreading to the classrooms still standing. "MARS! SAY SOMETHING!"

"There!" Moriko exclaimed, pointing.

To the right of the fire, Sailor Mars lay on the ground. A collapsing wall of the elementary school had narrowly missed her. However the fire was dangerously close to her. Several of the plainclothes officers had run up as well. They all started forward.

"No! It's too dangerous!" Venus shouted with authority. "I've got this! Venus Love Me Chain!"

The golden links of the Love Me Chain shot out from Venus and through their own magic wrapped around the waist and torso of the fallen Sailor Mars. When it was secure, Venus began pulling Mars away from the fire.

"Oh, Mars, you shouldn't have had that last rice ball!" grunted Venus as she struggled to pull her friend to her.

Then Moriko grasped the chain and lent her strength to Venus. Quickly the detectives pitched in, too. With ease, Sailor Mars was dragged away from the fire and to them. When she was at a safe distance, Venus dropped the chain and knelt next to her, massaging Mars along the neck.

"Come on, Mars, wake up!" Venus prodded anxiously. "You can't cut out on me. I'll miss trading shots with you too much."

In the distance, sirens could be heard. Mars inhaled, then coughed. Her face scrunched up in pain. Then it relaxed and her eyelids opened. Violet eyes tried to focus on Venus. The Senshi struggled to rise and was assisted by Venus and Moriko.

"Glad you're back," Venus grinned. "Had me worried there for a minute."

"What?" Mars mumbled.

"I said you had me worried there," Venus joked. "I'm not ready for you to quit the band just yet."

"WHAT?" Mars shouted. "I can't hear you!" Venus stared at Mars in terror.

"Damn," Venus whispered.

* * *

"Artemis!" Luna exclaimed as she bounded into their control center. "There's been another bombing!"

"OK," the white cat replied. His focus was squarely on his computer station. Scowling, Luna leaped up to the counter and marched over.

"You're being quite cavalier . . ." she began to say.

"Hold on, Luna!" Artemis replied sharply. "I'm in the computer system of the Russian government right now. If I do anything wrong, I'm going to get caught."

"Oh!" Luna marveled. She kept quiet while Artemis worked, the white cat's paws dancing over keys deftly. Finally he relaxed.

"I'm in," he confirmed. "That was hairy. Thought I was going to trip a security firewall several times there."

"Marvelous work, Artemis," Luna smiled.

"You said something about another bombing?"

"It can wait. I doubt you have time to linger about."

"You're right," Artemis nodded as he began working. "The sooner I'm out, the less likely I'll be discovered." He continued typing. "You know, the American CIA was tapping my cyber trails?"

"Indeed?" gasped Luna. "Whatever for?"

"Maybe they're interested in what I'll find," Artemis ventured. "Well, they'll have to find it on their own. I work for the King and Queen. So I re-encrypted my trail."

"Very sensible," Luna nodded. "Those are records of the government's financial division, aren't they?"

"Just taking a roundabout way to my target," Artemis assured her. "The back door is often a lot safer than the front door - - and a lot less guarded. Besides, following the money can often lead you to what you're looking for."

Records flashed across the screen at a pace too fast for Luna to decipher them. After trying and failing several times, she glanced over at Artemis again.

"Don't tell me you're able to read all of that?" she asked.

"The search is scanning through records," Artemis replied. "I'm copying them in case we want to look at them later."

The search halted and the screen displayed a file for Sasha Sakarov.

"It says he was an agronomist," Luna wondered out loud. "Was the CIA wrong about him?"

"See the small icon in the lower right? Let's highlight it."

Instantly a window came up demanding an ID and password.

"Well, well, well," Artemis mused. "Why would a simple agronomist have a tab with a security clearance lock in his file?"

"Can you unlock it?"

"Not directly, unless I was extremely lucky. It'll lock down after two or three wrong tries. I'll have to find a back way in or download it and try to crack the lock here in the lab. But let's just check a couple of things while I'm here."

The search engaged and seconds later Veronika Sakarov's file came up. She had the same icon in the lower right corner. Artemis engaged the search again. Thirty-three other files came up.

"Who are they?" Luna asked.

"Russian nationals currently living in Japan," Artemis informed her. "I got a list from the Immigration Ministry and plugged it into the search. Out of that list, these files came up. So why do they all have computer files in the Foreign Intelligence Service's computer?"

"Clearly they're all operatives," Luna scowled.

"Not necessarily. Some might be people the Foreign Intelligence Service is keeping tabs on," Artemis countered. "Until we can get a look at those secured tabs, we just don't know for sure."

"Artemis," Luna asked. "Does Yuri have a file?"

"Not on his own. He's just mentioned in the files of his parents. I see what you're getting at. And I don't think that clears him."

* * *

The fire department was working on extinguishing the burning sections of Hanabatake Elementary. The car where the bomb had been planted had burned itself out, leaving a steel frame and nothing more. Police forensic units were waiting to comb over the area, while news crews were filming and doing live remote broadcasts.

Sitting in the back of a paramedic unit, Sailor Mars was being attended to by a medic. The Senshi seemed in shock and genuinely scared. Moriko sat next to her, trying to give her strength and comfort. Eight feet away, Sailor Venus stood and watched, and she seemed just as scared as Mars was. It was only when Superintendent Sakurada approached and actually touched her on the arm that Venus noticed her being there. She glanced at Sakurada and got a look of sympathy in return. The woman looked stunning as ever in her designer Gucci suit, but few noticed at the moment.

"How is she, V-Chan?" Sakurada asked.

"Medic says it looks like ruptured eardrums," Venus mumbled hoarsely. "She might not hear," and the Senshi paused for a moment to let a wave of emotion pass, "not hear again."

"I'm very sorry to hear that, V-Chan," Sakurada offered. "Did you or she see or hear anything that might help us?"

"I didn't," Venus shook her head. "Just a Honda mid-size parked next to the school. Mars said she saw a detonator in the car. She was about to hit it with a flame arrow. Then - - boom." She sighed. "If we'd have gotten here sooner, maybe we could have prevented it."

"Nothing else?"

"No, it didn't have a great big sign on it with the address and phone number of the terrorists," Venus muttered. "Too bad, too. I'd like to make a personal appearance there right about now."

"Arresting and convicting them is the best revenge, V-Chan," Sakurada advised her friend. "Anything else just leaves you feeling hollow."

"You sound like Serenity," Venus mumbled.

She glanced over at Mars again. The woman was shaken and very depressed. But suddenly she looked up. Her expression changed to one of joy and hope. Venus felt it too by now and followed Mars' line of sight. There in the evening sky, like an angel descending from heaven, was Queen Serenity. Her white gown billowing around her, the woman levitated down to the medic unit. Venus and Sakurada came up to her as her dainty feet touched the pavement. They heard the Queen emit a sigh of fatigue.

"What happened?" Serenity asked, her eyes locked on Mars the entire time.

"Car blew up. Mars was too close," Venus summarized. "Docs say she has ruptured eardrums and might not ever hear again."

For a moment the Queen looked like she would burst into tears. Then resolve washed over her and she reached out to place her hands on either side of the Senshi's head. But Mars intercepted her hands. She looked straight at Serenity and shook her head warily.

"Mars, I can help you," Serenity said.

Mars may not have heard the Queen, but she could still read her. Fearing how much it might tax her friend, Mars shook her head again. But Moriko reached over and gently pulled her great-granddaughter's hands down. Mars gave her a challenging look, but Moriko simply nodded gently.

Softly Serenity's hands flattened against Mars' ears. As she took on a silvery glow, the Queen leaned forward and kissed Mars on the forehead. Her hands fell away. Mars swallowed once.

"Well?" Venus asked.

Tears began to stream down Mars' face, but they were coupled with a wide grin. She locked eyes with Serenity once again.

"Thank you," Mars choked out.

Serenity responded by hugging her friend.

* * *

It was midnight and Gendo Ochiro would normally be headed either for home with a pretty young thing or to a bar to unwind. Instead he was at the headquarters of the Motoguri Clan, taking the elevator up to Endo Motoguri's office. The summons had come a short time ago, terse and to the point. That indicated bad news and Ochiro wondered what had the clan Oyabun agitated. Motoguri was someone who liked to keep businessman's hours and leave the late night operations to lieutenants like Ochiro.

Ochiro found Motoguri sitting at his desk, watching the wide screen TV mounted on the wall. On the screen was a news channel with coverage of the school bombing. Ochiro glanced at it and concealed his surprise at seeing Queen Serenity at the scene, along with two of her Senshi. It seemed this bombing had gotten the attention of the palace.

"What do you know about this, Ochiro?" Motoguri asked. Ochiro could tell by the tone that the man wasn't happy.

"Just what I heard on the news, Boss," Ochiro replied. "Looks to me like these terrorists are . . ."

"Don't give me terrorists!" Motoguri snapped. It was then that Ochiro noticed two lower level clan operatives step out of the shadows. "This is traceable back to the clan!"

"You sure?"

"I got a report of a sizeable movement of chemical fertilizer from a local landscaping firm to one of our stolen auto stripping shops," Motoguri said.

Ochiro stared at him emotionlessly.

"I also got a report of a transfer of dynamite from a construction firm that we control," Motoguri continued.

"Are you saying we've got terrorists in the clan?" Ochiro asked.

"Apparently we've got one," Motoguri responded. "And everyone is pointing to you, Ochiro."

Ochiro shrugged. "OK, it was me. My idea from the start."

"Are you out of your mind?" Motoguri demanded.

"We needed something to distract the police and the palace away from our operation after what went down in The Ginza," Ochiro explained defiantly. "Well, they're distracted. The evening reports I got shows all businesses going back to normal."

"By bombing a school?"

"Got their attention."

"And what happens when the police or the Senshi trace it back to us?" Motoguri demanded.

"How? Nobody's going to talk, and if someone does we deal with them like we always dealt with them."

"'Like we always dealt with them' doesn't work anymore!" seethed Motoguri. "Sailor Moon changed all the rules! You can't use blunt force like this anymore! You threaten people's lives, she's coming for you! And you threaten children, she's really coming for you! And they have ways of finding out that the police don't have! And they don't follow the rules!" He got up and began pacing around his desk. "And you haven't concealed your tracks as well as you think! I figured it out, so Sakurada can, too! You have put this organization in a very perilous . . .!"

"Will you look at what you've become," sneered Ochiro. "You used to be strong. You used to be tough and ruthless. But ever since what went down in Chiyoda, you're scared. Scared of a woman!"

"It's a fool who challenges an avalanche head on," Motoguri responded. "I'm trying to survive. It's a new day and the old rules don't apply anymore. This clan has to adapt or it's going to get crushed by Sailor Moon and her Senshi."

"Skulk in the shadows and hope the Queen doesn't notice us?" scoffed Ochiro. "That's not the way a Yakuza lives. I'd rather die fighting than live like a mouse scuttling along the baseboard."

Motoguri closed a file on his desk. "I can't have someone who puts this clan in danger remaining a member of this clan."

"So this is the kiss-off?" Ochiro demanded. "That what they're here for? Because you're not man enough to pull the trigger yourself?" He looked at the two gunmen flanking Motoguri. "You want to follow him? Follow this? Fine, then put a bullet in me! Empty your clips! Make sure I don't come back and haunt you all! But be sure, because following him will turn you all into salarymen selling insurance instead of full-blooded Yakuza!"

Ochiro stood still and waited for the men to draw on him. They reached under their jackets for their pistols. He didn't flinch. The men hesitated. When their hesitation took too long, Motoguri looked up at first the one on his right, then on his left. Both men released their guns back into their holsters and dropped their arms to their sides.

"Apparently some people still respect strength," Ochiro said emotionlessly.

Motoguri reached for the gun in his desk drawer. A single shot rang out. The old Oyabun of the clan slumped in his chair as Ochiro replaced his gun in his holster.

Continued in Chapter 8


	8. What To Do About Yuri

HOUSE OF CARDS  
Chapter 8: "What To Do About Yuri"  
By Bill K.

* * *

"The school got blown up?" Setsuko repeated, her stare vacant and unfocused. Serenity and Endymion watched the child with concern. Yuri, sitting at the breakfast table, looked on sympathetically as well.

That morning, Setsuko had been ready to head off to school. Her first clue that something was amiss was her adoptive mother, Queen Serenity, sitting at the table. It was too early for her to be at the table and far too early for her to be coherent unless something was wrong. She'd prepared herself for bad news, but hadn't prepared herself for this.

"Yes, Setsuko-Chan," Endymion replied gently. "It was because of the terrorist group that's been setting off explosions in Tokyo recently." The man silently cursed a world that would force a seven year old girl to deal with the subject of terrorism.

"Mr. Hamusuta," Setsuko whispered. "Is Mr. Hamusuta all right?" she exclaimed.

"None of the staff were in the building except the night janitor," Endymion explained. "And he was in the other side of the building and got out in time."

"No, Mr. Hamusuta!" Setsuko persisted. "He's our class hamster! He was in the classroom! He lives there!"

A sick dread gripped the monarch. Setsuko's classroom had been near the bomb blast. Between the blast and the fire, nothing could have survived.

"I'm sorry, Setsuko-Chan," Endymion said solemnly.

The girl burst into tears. Immediately Serenity had Setsuko pressed against her body, cradling the girl against the tragedy as best she could. Yuri looked up at her and saw the Queen shedding tears of her own, tears for the pain and sorrow Setsuko was suffering, and even tears for the snuffed out life of a hamster.

"Mama?" Setsuko cried. "Can't you stop them? Can't you stop things like this from happening? Please!"

"I will, Setsuko-Chan," sniffed the Queen. "I'll do my best, I promise you."

"Believe her, Setsuko-Chan," Yuri offered earnestly. "Serenity-Hime will do all she can and she can do a lot."

"I know," Setsuko said between hiccups. "I believe in you, Usagi-Mama. It's just," and she gulped back a sob, "Mr. Hamusuta must have suffered so much!"

Serenity just stroked the girl's hair as she held her.

* * *

In the Ikegami quarters, Akiko zipped her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. Her mother was on the phone with her Aunt Ami, discussing the events of last night. Though the event itself was shocking and unsettling, there was still good to be found in anything if you looked hard enough. In this case, Akiko didn't have to endure her mother fussing at her like she was five.

Headed for the door, she passed her brother Ichiro's room. The boy was in his casual clothing. He didn't have to go in today, since his school had been the one bombed. Akiko glanced in to see how he was taking it. If he was jubilant, she was going to have to smack him. But the boy was on his computer, reading something. Closer inspection found the screen displaying a news story about the bombing.

"Bad thing to happen," Akiko remarked as she entered. Usually Ichiro would get territorial about his room, but he was too absorbed in what he was reading. "They learn anything new yet?"

"Nothing since last night," Ichiro responded, glancing her way. "You know what this means, don't you?"

"You've got an early vacation?"

"Mom's going to have to go out again," Ichiro responded. She could tell the prospect didn't thrill him. It never did.

"That's what happens. Bad guys do bad things and Mom has to put it right," Akiko reminded him. "It's about time you accepted it, because you're not going to change her. And I'm not sure anyone should."

"Why would I expect you to understand," grumbled Ichiro.

"Hey, I get it! I worry, too. But there's some things you have to do."

"Sometimes I wonder if it's worth it," Ichiro sighed.

"What's that mean?"

Ichiro pulled up a different site. It was a site purporting to have insider news. On it was an article with the banner headline "Queen abducts Russian child".

"They're talking about Yuri-Kun," Ichiro explained.

"Squirt, don't believe everything you read on the net!" Akiko huffed. "You know that's a load!"

"Give me some credit, huh?" Ichiro scowled. "But somebody's going to believe that. Just look at the comments section." He scrolled down to the comments underneath. Akiko read it and found a vigorous back and forth between posters defending the Queen and posters showering her with vile hatred. A glance at the number said over twelve thousand comments had been posted. "See that. No matter what she does, someone is always ready to believe the worst. And that's the Queen! Imagine if that was Mom in that story. So what's she risking her life for?"

"Because it's right," Akiko responded.

"I knew you'd say that," Ichiro frowned.

"Akiko!" Makoto hissed, sticking her head in the room. "Your driver is waiting! You'll be late for school!"

"Coming!" Akiko sighed dramatically. "I know how to tell time!"

"Well don't blame me when you're standing out in the hall holding water buckets," Makoto shot back. "I'm here, Ames," she said into the phone.

"When is she going to stop running my life!" Akiko gasped. She turned to Ichiro. "Put your faith in Mom and Aunt Usagi, Squirt. They can get past all of this. And don't spend all day in front of that computer just because you've got an off day."

"You're not Mom," Ichiro shot back.

"Yeah, lucky you," Akiko retorted and headed for the front door.

* * *

When she returned to the work room she shared with Artemis, Luna found Sailor Mercury sitting in as well. The woman was on a cell phone, talking with Makoto from the sound of it, but her Senshi Computer was out and open. Artemis continued to work on cracking the security files he'd obtained from Russian government computers. The intensity of his concentration gave Luna a momentary pang. A part of her wished that she could occupy his attention with the same fervency.

"That was Makoto," Mercury announced as she closed the phone. "She'll join us as soon as she gets Akiko off to school and makes certain that Ichiro is all right."

"How did he take the news?" Luna asked.

"Surprise at first," Mercury responded, "then he seemed to settle into a fatalistic melancholy. It seems to me that being the child of a Senshi burdens him."

"He took it far better than Setsuko did," Luna lamented, "though he is older."

"Mercury, analyze this batch of code," Artemis said suddenly. He pressed a button and a file transferred from his laptop to Mercury's.

"Are you close to something?" Luna inquired hopefully.

"Yeah, but it keeps staying out of reach," sighed the white cat. "Mercury offered to help and we've made some headway, but it's still behind that protective barrier. Those guys are good. But that's what you'd expect from the Foreign Intelligence Service."

"My Senshi Computer has a program that is a sophisticated code breaking algorithm," Mercury added. "Given that time may be a consideration, I thought it best to add it to Artemis's considerable resources to speed up this process."

"Just so," Luna nodded.

"OK, what did I miss?" Makoto asked as she steamed into the room.

"Twelve hours of me staring at a computer," quipped Artemis.

"Sounds like Ichiro," Makoto smiled. "I swear that boy would live in his computer if he could. Find out anything about Yuri-Kun yet?"

"Not really," Mercury informed her. "Why the sudden interest?"

"It's kind of selfish," Makoto shrunk into herself. "Ichiro's always been a guy surrounded by a lot of girls."

"Sounds like a dream come true," Artemis quipped as he typed. As such, he missed the withering glare Luna gave him.

"He just," Makoto continued haltingly, "doesn't have a lot of male influences other than his father. He's got friends at school, but I don't know that they're close. If - - I mean when - - Serenity adopts Yuri-Kun, I guess I hope maybe they can become friends - - like he's friends with Setsuko-Chan. And - - I don't know, am I making sense?"

"I think you're worrying too much," Mercury replied. "Friends are important, but Sanjuro is and will always be the most important male influence on Ichiro. I think he's growing up very well and that speaks well of Sanjuro's influence. And yours."

"Well, you know me," grinned Makoto. "It's a mother's job to worry about her kids, that's my philosophy."

"Artemis," Mercury said, focusing on her computer. "I believe my computer has solved the encryption." She transferred the file.

"Yeah," Artemis nodded, his face lighting up. Luna peered over his shoulder. "That did it! Now we'll just plug it into the file on the Sakarov family . . ."

The cat's expression changed into one of disappointment.

"What is it?" Makoto prodded.

"Sasha and Veronika Sakarov were active agents of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service," Artemis quoted. "They were stationed in Tokyo under cover and were the lead agents on a mission titled 'Operation: Perun's Thunderbolt'."

"Do you have any information on this operation?" Luna asked as Mercury began furiously typing.

"There's a link," Artemis replied, "but it's encrypted. Back to square one."

* * *

Despite the best efforts of King Endymion, there was tension in the room. Yuri Sakarov was sitting at one end of a round table like he expected the pronouncement of his death sentence at any moment. Sitting next to him was Queen Serenity, at her insistence, and by the expression on her face she was in "mother tiger" mode - - or as much as the notoriously peaceful woman could manage.

Sitting across from them was Koji Munehara, a professional interrogator from the Japanese Intelligence Ministry. He was thirty-six, studious looking and tried to project a conciliatory manner. Serenity was having none of it. Munehara had been recommended to Endymion by Minister Aramaki with the notion that they had to discover Yuri's involvement in his parents' recently discovered mission, but that he was still an eight year old boy. Sitting to one side was Rei Hino, observing everything. Sitting to the other side was Endymion, praying that this would go smoothly.

"Yuri-Kun," Munehara began, "I know this is a very touchy subject for you, considering how recently your parents passed. But we have to clear up some matters and I'm afraid you're the only one who might know what we need to know. I just want to say up front that you're not on trial here or anything. We just want to ask you some questions about your parents."

Yuri nodded.

"Do you know what your parents did for a living?"

"They were," Yuri began, then searched for the word. "They worked with plants; growing plants, helping people to grow better plants."

"They were agronomists?" Munehara asked.

"Yes, that's the word."

"Did they do anything else besides be agronomists?"

"I don't understand?"

"Did they have any other jobs besides growing better plants?"

"No," Yuri said, frowning.

"What were their interests outside of their jobs?" Munehara asked.

Yuri thought. "Dad was very interested in politics and government," he began haltingly. "He watched the news a lot and the talk shows. He read all of the papers, from Tokyo and other parts of Japan. And he would participate in a lot of online message boards and chatrooms, talking politics and the news of the day."

"And your mother?"

"She liked to meet people," Yuri replied. "She would take me and we would walk around Tokyo, in the shopping districts, in the parks. She would always stop and talk to people - - perfect strangers. It was a little boring for me, but she liked it so I went along. I would watch futbol highlights on my phone while she talked." He thought a moment. "And she was very interested in . . ." Suddenly he grew self-conscious and stopped.

"Interested in what?" Munehara gently probed.

"Well," Yuri began, "Serenity-Hime." Serenity and Endymion both seemed surprised by this. Yuri glanced at her timidly. "Mom was a big fan of yours. She got everything written about you and saved it in an album. She used to record your television appearances on DVD and keep them."

"I wish I could have met her," Serenity remarked.

"I wish you could have, too," Yuri responded. Everyone could see the boy's eyes watering. Serenity glared impatiently at Munehara.

"I'm sorry if this is bringing back painful memories, Sakarov-Kun," Munehara offered. "Did either of your parents work out?"

"Three times a week," Yuri nodded. "Mom would take Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Dad would go Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. That way one of them was free to be with me."

"Didn't your parents ever get someone to watch you while they were gone?"

"No. Dad didn't want a stranger in the house," Yuri replied. "And we had no relatives in Japan."

"Do you remember your Uncle Leonid?" Munehara asked. Serenity stiffened.

"No," Yuri replied. "Mom didn't talk about him much. I think it's because he's in prison."

"I see. Did they talk about their families at all?"

"We went to my grandparents funerals," Yuri recalled. "I don't remember much about them. My grandpa Sakarov was kind of thin and bent over. I think he'd been hurt in some accident at work. My grandma Sakarov was round and always giving me cookies." He darkened. "They died in the Great Ice Age."

"I see," Munehara nodded. "One more question, Yuri: Have you ever heard of the term 'Perun's Thunderbolt'?"

Yuri shook his head blankly. Munehara glanced at Rei. Rei moved her hands from her chin to the table.

"Thank you for helping us, Sakarov-Kun," Munehara said. He got up and everyone used that as a signal to rise as well.

After Serenity returned Yuri to the Royal Chambers and made sure he was fine, she returned to Endymion's office. Waiting there for her was Endymion, Munehara, Minister Aramaki, the Inner Senshi, and Artemis and Luna.

"Are you people satisfied now?" the Queen asked peevishly.

"It had to be investigated, Dear," Endymion told her. "It isn't just our safety I'm concerned with. It's Setsuko-Chan's, and the entire kingdom's, and even Yuri-Kun's. If he's somehow a pawn of Russian Intelligence, even an unwitting one, it's something that needs to be known." Serenity just scowled a reply.

"Well I'm satisfied that he's not involved," Munehara declared. "Unless he's brainwashed or the greatest actor alive."

"And I'm the greatest actor alive, so it can't be that," quipped Venus.

"I agree with Munehara-San," Mars added. "Yuri was honest during the entire time. There were a couple of times he thought about lying, because he felt extremely intimidated, but he didn't. I think Serenity being there helped him decide that."

"But from what he said," Munehara continued, "his parents were actively involved in intelligence-gathering at the very least."

"Maybe they were being forced," Serenity suggested. "The woman's brother was being held in prison."

"It's a slim possibility," Aramaki sighed, "but every indication we have is that Leonid was jailed on a legitimate charge and that Veronika cut ties with him to protect her son."

"So that leaves the question of what 'Operation: Perun's Thunderbolt' is," Endymion summarized.

"Perun was a character in Slavic mythology," Mercury began. "He was the eastern European equivalent of the nordic god Thor. He was a very heroic character, a protector of the weak and innocent, and was capable both of great feats of strength and of throwing massive lightning bolts."

"Going to start calling you 'Sailor Perun'," Venus joked to Jupiter.

"Shut up, Blondie," grumbled Jupiter.

"The name alone suggests it was designed by the Russians as a defense against something," Mercury analyzed. "The question now is what, and to what lengths they were prepared to go to protect themselves against this perceived threat. As to the threat itself, the father was keenly interested in the Japanese political system. The mother was watching both the Japanese social system and you, Serenity."

"Me? She was just a fan," Serenity replied with astonishment.

"I think she was more than just a fan," Mercury said. "However, further speculation is counterproductive without more information."

"But Mercury, Japan is a peaceful country," Serenity persisted. "How could they possibly think we're a threat to them?

Continued in Chapter 9


	9. Appearances

HOUSE OF CARDS  
Chapter 9: "Appearances"  
By Bill K.

* * *

Noon was generally the time the various lieutenants of the Motoguri Clan began their day. A summons to the headquarters of the Clan Oyabun was not out of the ordinary, except that it was less than a week after the last summons, after the incident on The Ginza. This was out of the ordinary and it had the assembled curious to say the least. Speculation among them as they waited for the Oyabun to appear was rampant, though kept low-key so as not to show weakness.

Finally the door slid open. To the surprise of many, it wasn't Endo Motoguri who entered the room, but his top lieutenant Gendo Ochiro, flanked by two lesser Yakuza deemed by the assembled to be bodyguards. Greetings were exchanged and Gendo Ochiro began.

"Oyabun Motoguri and his family were forced to take a sudden trip," Ochiro announced. "Due to - - certain circumstances - - it was determined that their health and well-being would benefit from an extended stay somewhere other than Japan. Before he left, the Oyabun charged me with making certain the operation continued to run smoothly. I intend to do that, so until his return, you'll all be reporting to me. Questions?"

"How long will Oyabun be gone?" one of the lieutenants, a wiry man of forty-one with a suspicious look that was currently concentrated on Ochiro.

"Until it's healthy for him to return," Ochiro replied calmly. "No timetable has been set for that."

"What's he suffering from?" another lieutenant asked with the same amount of suspicion.

"The heat," Ochiro replied and everyone knew what he meant. They'd had to deal first hand with the increased police scrutiny since The Ginza and everyone had heard about the visit from The Queen.

"So what are your orders?" asked another skeptically.

"We go back to the way things were before the incident in The Ginza," Ochiro told them. "We have to show the police, the palace and the rival clans that we're not intimidated by a little heat; that we're all man enough to fight back when challenged."

That got several heads nodding.

"And you can go back to packing," Ochiro continued. "If some rival clan comes snooping around, you send a message to them - - pinned to the body of whatever chump they send into our territory."

The audience murmured among themselves.

"Sakurada's not going to like that," a lieutenant said, he being a loyalist to Motoguri. "Neither are the King and Queen. And bullets don't stop her."

"The King and Queen are going to be too busy with other things to worry about us," Ochiro shot back. "As for Sakurada - - she's not bullet-proof, so she better watch her step. That Gucci clip on her jacket makes for a pretty good target."

"That's pretty reckless," the loyalist argued. "You're courting trouble instead of just dealing with it."

"If you're scared, retire," sneered Ochiro. "For three years now we've been cowering in the shadows like mice, scared of The Queen throwing us into Fuchu. Well it's time for them to be scared now. We're Yakuza. We don't fear the law. We don't fear anybody. We are predators and we take what we want. And if the hunter or farmer shoots us down, at least we died as men."

Several among the audience cheered or nodded. Others looked on skeptically. Ochiro made mental notes in case a purge was necessary.

* * *

Makoto and Rei were driving around the city in Makoto's Nissan compact. Makoto glanced over at Rei, who was looking out the window without really looking at anything.

"If you've got something else you need to do," Makoto began. That snapped Rei out of her thoughts.

"Hmm? No. Patrolling around is fine. It's as useful as anything else I was doing," Rei responded.

"I just thought it might be a good idea, you know?" Makoto continued. "Maybe get lucky and stumble onto the terrorists." She glanced at Rei again. "How are you feeling after last night?"

"Serenity cured my hearing, don't worry," Rei assured her. "I was just thinking about the premonition Obaa-San had, wondering what it meant."

"Yeah, how did that go again; something about a one-eyed man?"

"A masterless man observing the palace with only one eye," Rei paraphrased. "I just can't seem to make any sense of it. Neither can Obaa-San."

"You suppose it has anything to do with those Russian spies?" Makoto suggested. "Ami said that the government was using the files Artemis got to round a bunch of them up."

"That doesn't support the masterless part," Rei shook her head. "They were observing us, that's for sure. But they all have a master."

"So that leads us back to The Divine Army," Makoto reasoned. "Suppose the whole 'Divine Army' thing is just one guy with a grudge against Serenity?"

"Could be," Rei sighed. "If only I knew for sure. If it is, Serenity's going to want to try to talk it out with him. Frankly, I don't want her in the same room with him. If you're capable of blowing up a school . . ."

"Yeah, I hear you. When I think of how that car bomb could have gone off during the day with Ichiro inside of that . . ."

"Makoto, pull over!" Rei said suddenly.

"That's going to be kind of hard," she shot back. "Traffic's pretty heavy." Finally she found a convenience store lot and pulled in. "What is it?"

But Rei was already out of the car and changing to Sailor Mars. As Makoto changed into Sailor Jupiter, Mars ran across the street, dodging cars. Jupiter could see her headed for two men. One was a stereotypical salaryman, early forties and beginning to sag under the weight of his responsibilities. The other was a man in an expensive suit. He might have been another salaryman until Jupiter got a look at his face as it turned toward Mars. The aggressiveness of the man's expression told her he was one of the street predators that inhabited Tokyo.

Realizing that Sailor Mars was charging at him, a flaming bow forming in her hands, the street predator reached under his expensive jacket and produced a .38 caliber automatic. Instantly Jupiter acted.

"SUPREME THUNDER!" she bellowed.

Though it was far too slow for her, electricity leaped to her tiara, down to her hands and shot over Mars' head to the gun leveling at her. From there it ran through the gun, up the man's arm and into his body. The armed man seized up and began shaking in the grip of the electric bolt, while the salaryman turned and ran down the street in terror. Once the bolt spent itself, the armed man sank to the sidewalk as passers-by looked on in shock. His gun clattered away, stopping when Mars stepped on it. She towered over the man, her flaming arrow pointed directly down at him. Moments later Jupiter joined her.

"What was it, Mars?" Jupiter asked.

"I locked eyes with him for a moment in the car and I got a flash of what he was doing," Mars explained. "He was selling methamphetamine to that salaryman."

"I thought Serenity told them to stop," Jupiter wondered.

"Either he didn't get the message," Mars answered, "or he didn't listen."

As the man's vision began to clear and he could now fully see the grim Senshi looming over him, a police siren could be heard in the distance. He signed. This day was certainly shot.

* * *

Serenity was in her office, working on the latest page of "Fire Princess Rika". Anymore, producing her manga had become a refuge for the Queen, a way to escape the pressures and decisions a monarch had to make. She had been alone in her office, but a little tickle in the back of her mind told her she was no longer.

"What is it, Luna?" Serenity asked as she finished the figure in panel one.

"Don't you think that figure is a touch too long?" Luna asked. She was standing on Serenity's desk, where she'd leaped, and staring over the Queen's shoulder.

"You didn't come in here to be an art critic," Serenity replied, keeping her concentration on her page. "No matter how much you enjoy it."

Luna smothered a smile. "I just wished to remind you that . . ."

". . .I have my meet and greet with the public at one," Serenity interrupted. "I remember. It's one of the few things that's fun about being Queen."

"Regrets, Your Majesty?"

"Many," Serenity said. Then she glanced at Luna. "And at the top of the list is the fact that some people insist on calling me 'Your Majesty'."

"Have I been promoted to 'person' now?" jabbed the black cat.

"I could," Serenity glanced at her again.

"Please, once was enough," huffed the cat.

Just then Setsuko burst into the room.

"Setsuko-Chan, what have I told you about knocking before you enter a private room?" Luna admonished.

"But it's Usagi-Mama," Setsuko replied, mystified. Dismissing Luna's question, the girl came up to the Queen. Serenity turned and bent down from her chair. "Mama, why are people lying about you?"

"Somebody's lying about me?" Serenity asked. Setsuko responded by bringing a smart phone up to show her.

"Where did you get that phone?" Luna gasped.

"Mama got it for me," Setsuko replied, again mystified by the cat's attitude.

"Your Majesty," Luna scowled.

"Well, she saw it in the store and really liked it!" whined the Queen. "What was I going to do, say no?"

"If only you could," Luna sighed.

On the phone, a video began playing, taken from the internet. On the video, unflattering images of Queen Serenity flashed in montage while a deep, sinister voice accused her of abducting Yuri Sakarov for immoral purposes.

"Outrageous!" exclaimed Luna when the video finished. "How did you find that, Setsuko-Chan?"

"It was on the social media board I post on," Setsuko answered.

"Your Majesty!" roared the cat. "You let a seven year old post to social media?"

"Is that bad? I thought she was making friends," Serenity squeaked.

The cat uttered a deep sigh. "Perhaps Ami can explain it better than I can."

"Why are they lying about Mama?" Setsuko demanded. "She didn't take Yuri-Kun! She took him in! She helped him!"

"Yeah," Serenity added. "Did someone get the story wrong? Maybe I can clear it up."

"The story is wrong, but intentionally so," Luna explained. "Do you recall the trouble they've been having in Europe and America recently concerning this type of thing?"

"No," Serenity grimaced.

"You really must pay more attention, Your Majesty. Bogus stories such as this are posted on the net to strike back at a leader the poster opposes, or to sow discord among the population of a country by a rival country. They sometimes take on a life of their own because a disgruntled segment of the population believes it because they want to believe it. The aim is to polarize a population and fragment it so it can't work together, making it less efficient regionally or internationally."

"Well I have to do something about that," The Queen said softly. All thought of Setsuko, of Luna, of her manga page were forgotten as the Queen pondered.

"Are you going to be Sailor Moon again, Mama?" Setsuko asked.

"Hmm? Oh, no, Setsuko-Chan. I don't think this is a problem Sailor Moon can solve. But I'm going to have to do something. I can't let everyone start being suspicious of everyone else."

"Your Majesty," Luna spoke up. "Your appointment at one?"

"Hmm? Oh. OH!" she gasped. Serenity lurched out of her chair, spilling her taboret onto the floor and scurried out of the room. Luna shook her head, then noticed Setsuko bending down and picking up the spilled drawing supplies.

"What a nice gesture, Setsuko-Chan," Luna told her.

"Mama has more important things to worry about," Setsuko remarked. "Besides, she gave me this phone. It's just my way of saying 'thank you'."

The cat smiled. The Queen might not always be the ideal parent, but she had her moments.

When Luna entered the Royal Receiving Room, The Queen was already chatting up a tourist family from Australia who had come explicitly to meet her. Sailor Venus, as the Senshi on duty to guard her, stood off to one side and nodded as the black cat walked in. As usual, Serenity was bright and warm and approachable, and as usual the people she was talking to were utterly enthralled by her down-to-earth charm. Since the Queen had so many people to visit with, visits were limited to ten minutes. Of course Serenity wanted to extend the chat and the visitors weren't going to protest, so Venus had to gently remind her there were others to see her.

The next visitor was a Japanese woman of thirty-three, accompanied by her eleven year old son. The son was blind. The woman led him up to Serenity, then surprised everyone in the room by sinking to her knees and pressing her forehead to the floor. What she said next was even more surprising.

"Please, Queen Serenity," the woman said, still prostrate on the floor. "My son has been blind since birth. I saw the video. I know you have the ability to heal people. Please, I beg of you, please heal my son!"

As the crowd murmured, Serenity was off her chair and kneeling next to the woman. Venus hovered to make sure it wasn't a trick.

"No, don't do that," Serenity protested. "You don't have to beg like that. I'm no better than you are. Sit up, please?"

"Please heal my son," the woman repeated. "I-I'll give you anything you want. But please let him see." The son turned blindly to his mother, upset by her emotional tone of voice and confused by all the sound around him.

Serenity turned to Venus and got a helpless shrug in return.

"Of course I'll try," Serenity assured her. "But please forgive me if I fail. I'm still kind of new at this."

The woman only grabbed Serenity's hand and began crying into it. Gently extracting her hand, Serenity rose to her feet and came over to the boy. She placed her hands over his eyes. Rather than be startled, the boy seemed to be calmed by her touch. Serenity bowed her head and allowed the Silver Crystal to emerge from her chest. There was a flash of silver light that bathed the room and momentarily obscured everything.

Serenity removed her hands as the crystal returned to her. The boy's eyelids opened slowly. He stared into the Queen's beautiful, expectant face. His hand reached up and gently traced the outline of her chin.

"A-Are you my mother?" the boy asked.

"Do you see me?" Serenity asked, her voice sounding winded.

The boy nodded. Instantly he was seized in a bear hug by his mother, sobbing joyously into his shoulder. Serenity smiled, then keeled back. Venus caught her and eased her into the chair, amid concerned murmurs from the audience.

"You OK, Serenity?" Venus asked.

"Just a little spent," Serenity assured her.

"OH, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!" sobbed the woman, falling to her knees before the Queen and gripping the hem of her skirt. Serenity leaned forward and urged her to look up.

"Make sure he sees all of the beauty in this world," Serenity requested.

While this took place, Luna was on her communicator to Artemis, asking him to look for a video of the Queen healing Sailor Mars.

* * *

"It wasn't too difficult to find," Artemis reported. Luna was with him in their command center, along with Ami and Minako. "The video has gone viral."

"That's from when that car blew up in Mars' face," Minako nodded, staring at the computer screen. "Pretty shaky, so it has to be somebody's phone. And there's Serenity, laying hands on and curing the sick." She leaned in. "Damn, I'm making a funny face."

"I checked with the palace phone bank and website," Luna informed them. "We've already been flooded with requests for the Queen to perform similar feats of healing. Roughly thirty-five percent are from foreign countries."

"And according to the Ministry of Travel and Immigration, requests for tourist visas are up sixty-two percent," Ami reported. "This could quickly become a problem."

"Price of fame, I guess," Minako replied. "Give the public something they like and they're all going to want a piece of you."

"It goes beyond that," Ami countered. "If the palace is inundated with requests for healing, it could quickly become all Serenity does all day. Because you know she won't have the heart to turn anyone down. Plus there's the physical toll such extensive use of the Silver Crystal will exact upon her."

"Minako and I saw such an example after she healed the blind boy," Luna agreed. "It could become a situation much like her attempt to restore the entire Pacific Rim."

"Yeah, but how do you say 'no' without sounding like a heartless so-and-so?" sighed Minako. "Whoever posted that probably didn't think of the trouble that video was going to cause."

"Maybe they did," Artemis remarked.

"Yeah? Explain yourself, cat."

"I backtracked the video to the original post," Artemis explained. "It wasn't easy, given how many times it's been reposted in the last thirty-six hours. But the source of the post was an IP address registered to Anatoly Vishenko. He's one of the people the Self Defense Force arrested after he was implicated by those Russian files I hacked."

Luna, Minako and Ami exchanged surprised looks.

Continued in Chapter 10


	10. Remove A Card

HOUSE OF CARDS  
Chapter 10: "Remove A Card"  
By Bill K.

* * *

It was two in the afternoon and Endymion had a headache. He was on the phone with Russian ambassador Anatole Kureloff, listening to the man vigorously protest his decision to deport Anatoly Vishenko and thirty-two other Russians living in Japan as unregistered agents of a foreign government.

"Ambassador Kureloff," sighed Endymion, "your protest is noted. But we have very reliable information that the people in question were engaged in at the very least efforts to spread a campaign of disinformation designed to sabotage the Japanese government and Japanese society in general."

"Lies!" blustered Kureloff. "These people are guilty of nothing! This is a campaign to scapegoat innocent Russian nationals for the failings of your government! We will not take this persecution lightly!"

"Threats and retaliation won't change my mind," Endymion told him. "And frankly I'm disappointed that a fellow nation would take such an aggressive action against another country without provocation. Japan is no threat, to Russia or anyone else, and I resent being treated as one, Ambassador."

"These were individuals engaged in the exercise of their rights to voice their opinions in what is claimed to be a free society," Kureloff argued. "I can't help it if their opinions aren't popular with you, but that doesn't give you cause to expel them from your country."

"A coordinated attack designed to divide a society is not 'voicing their opinions', Ambassador," Endymion replied, "and you calling it that is being disingenuous. The decision is final, and the people being expelled should consider themselves lucky that we aren't bringing espionage charges against them."

"Then if that is your final word," Kureloff said stiffly, "you should be prepared for a roughly equal number of your countrymen to return to you from Russia. It would not surprise me to find out that some of them are not what they claim to be. And if we do learn they have been engaged in espionage . . ."

"We'll accept them back without protest," Endymion interrupted. "There's no need to make threats."

"Threat is an ugly word," Kureloff told him. "We are merely establishing our rights as a sovereign government. It would be tragic if such charges were entered into without sufficient grounds to do so - - on either side." There was a pregnant pause. "Do you intend to make this 'reliable information' public? I'd be quite interested in who this unimpeachable source is."

"Not unless it's absolutely necessary," Endymion answered.

"Too bad," Kureloff said. "Well, I must inform my government to expect the return of thirty-four of our valued citizens."

"Thirty-four?" asked Endymion.

"Of course. In light of this - - incident - - we'll be expecting the return of the Sakarov boy as well. We don't feel it best for him that he be raised in such a hostile environment."

The phone clicked in his ear and Endymion set it down. This was a move he should have anticipated, but hadn't. He knew Serenity had her heart set on adopting Yuri. It would break her heart to be separated from him now. And he wondered if Yuri even wanted to go back to a country he barely remembered.

Now what?

* * *

"They did what?" gasped Serenity.

She was gathered in the conference room with Endymion and the other Senshi, as well as Luna. Endymion had just outlined his talk with the Russian Ambassador.

"That's a pretty rotten thing to do," growled Makoto. "Use poor Yuri-Kun as a political pawn."

"Given the recent activity that has been uncovered," Ami commented, "it's hardly the worst thing they could have done."

"It is to me!" Serenity exclaimed. "He's suffered so much! Now to add this to everything else he's had to endure?"

"Well I imagine the Russians would relent," Endymion sighed, "IF we halt the deportation of their operatives. That's not something I want to do. The idea of Russian Intelligence agents running around Japan trying to destabilize the government or worse isn't something I'm comfortable with."

"Plus there's that mysterious 'Perun's Thunderbolt' plan," Rei added. "We don't even know what it is, so we can't be sure how many of these operatives are crucial to it."

"But if it lets Yuri-Kun stay," Serenity argued.

"I don't want to turn him away, Serenity," Endymion said. "I've kind of grown fond of the idea of adopting him. And Setsuko-Chan will probably be hurt if he has to leave, too. But I have to consider the safety of everyone in this country. If turning him over ensures that safety, then what right . . .?"

"No," Minako spoke up. "Capitulation doesn't ensure safety. You turn Yuri-Kun over and you're not buying your safety. You're selling your soul."

"That's right!" nodded Serenity.

"Wow, Blondie, that was impressive," Makoto remarked.

"I'm not really a bimbo, I just played one on TV," Minako smirked at her friend.

"So how do we ensure the intelligence operatives leave and Yuri-Kun stays?" Endymion asked.

"Have you considered offering him asylum?" Ami ventured.

"Asylum?" Minako gaped. "He's not crazy!"

"You just blew all your cred, Blondie," Makoto muttered.

"Being orphaned and alone, Yuri-Kun could qualify under international treaty as an economic refugee," Ami explained, "if you bend the definition a bit. It would be up to the government of Japan to decide whether to grant him refugee status and extend asylum to him. If such status is granted, he would be free to stay in the country as a resident alien. The Russians may protest, but I think it wouldn't be something they would engage in a protracted dispute over."

"I'll grant that right now!" Serenity exclaimed. "Just show me where to sign! I guess there is some benefit to being queen."

"I'll have the official papers drawn up, Your Majesty," Luna nodded.

"Hold on a moment," Rei interjected. Everyone looked at her curiously except Serenity, whose lips thinned to a pencil line and her blue eyes flared. "You're all forgetting one thing."

"What, party pooper?" huffed Minako.

"Has anybody asked Yuri-Kun if he wants to stay?" Rei replied, locking eyes with Serenity. For her part, the Queen suddenly looked very chastened.

* * *

When the door to the Ikegami quarters opened, Yuri turned to see who it was. It was Makoto, accompanied by Serenity and Endymion. They all saw Ichiro and Setsuko engrossed in one of his video games, so engrossed that they hadn't looked around.

"Champ," Makoto spoke up, "Yuri and Setsuko have to go. Put the video game away, please."

"But we're almost to the sixth level!" Ichiro protested, his eyes glued on the game.

"Now," Makoto emphasized. Ichiro sighed peevishly and ended the game.

"We'll pick it up," Setsuko offered. "Tomorrow?"

"If school's still out, sure," Ichiro grinned.

The King and Queen escorted the two children back down to the Royal Chambers and sat them down on a sofa. The two monarchs sat across from them and the children instantly sensed something serious was up.

"Yuri-Kun," Endymion began, "I've got some things I need to tell you. Setsuko-Chan is here because I felt she should be involved in this, too." He exhaled. "The Russian government has asked us to return you to Russia." Yuri tensed, as did Setsuko. "They're doing this because we're expelling thirty-three other Russians from the country for being spies."

"They think I'm a spy?" Yuri gasped.

"No. They're just doing this as a way to get back at us for expelling their spies."

"THAT'S NOT FAIR!" howled Setsuko.

"Yuri-Kun," Serenity began, "we don't care what they want. We're only interested in what you want. As far as I know, nobody's found out whether you want to go back to Russia or stay here. Now if you want to stay here, this will be your home. Endymion and I will be your new parents and Setsuko-Chan will be your new sister, and you can stay here as long as you want. But, if you want to go back to Russia, then you can go and my feelings for you won't change. I love you, Yuri, as much as if you were my own child and I would love nothing more than to be your mother. But the decision is yours."

"But if I decide I want to stay, won't my home country try to force me back?" Yuri asked.

"We have ways to block that, Yuri-Kun," Endymion assured him. "This is completely and solely about what you want. And we will back you no matter what you decide."

"Then I want to stay!" the blond boy exclaimed. "I don't remember Russia. Everything I know is in Japan. And you've all been wonderful to me. Why would I want to leave that? I'd like to stay."

Immediately Serenity was across the space between them. She enveloped Yuri in her arms, squeezed him tight and kissed him on his cheek. Then she jumped to her feet and ran for the door, yelling, "LUNA! GET THE PAPERS!"

"Welcome to the family," Setsuko exclaimed, hugging him, "Onee-Chan!"

"This isn't going to be a problem?" Yuri asked as Endymion shook his hand.

"There may be a few harsh words," Endymion told him. "But don't worry. They'll have to get through Serenity and me to get to you."

And for the first time since his parents were killed, Yuri felt his world stabilizing.

* * *

Gendo Ochiro sped through the streets of Tokyo in his black 2018 Jaguar C-X75. Most of the Motoguri Clan had accepted him as the new leader and the ones who hadn't were being weeded out. Operations were stabilizing. Now he had to be on the watch for evidence that another clan was encroaching on their territory, or for further harassment by the Tokyo Police. It was part of doing business.

The man smiled to himself. At least he didn't have to worry about interference from the Palace or Sailor Moon. Between the actions of "The Divine Army" and the latest spat with Russia over spying, the Palace had its hands full. That was the way the Yakuza liked it. If they got nosy again, he could always trot it out. But for now, it was time for "The Divine Army" to fade back into the woodwork.

Gendo glanced in his rear view mirror at flashing lights. One of Tokyo Metro's Traffic Control Officers was pursuing him, the light mounted on the back of her motorcycle engaged. Gendo sighed. This was the price one paid for driving a 2018 Jaguar C-X75. You stood out in a sea of Toyotas and Nissans. Gendo pulled over and lowered his window.

"What's the problem, Officer?" Gendo asked as the Traffic Officer approached. While she walked up, Gendo took a glance at her face now that she had removed her helmet and at her body draped in a functional police officer's uniform. She was a little too wiry for his tastes, but her face belonged in one of the porn magazines the clan sold rather than on a Traffic Patrol bike.

"You were clocked over the speed limit, Sir," the officer told him. Her voice was soft and lilting and totally incongruous with what he expected a Traffic Patrol Officer to sound like. "License and registration, please."

Mentally shivering at her business-like tone, Gendo produced the documents and handed them to her through the window. As she checked them against her handheld computer linked with the department's central database, Gendo tried to suppress his impatience. If she wasn't going to entertain him, the least she could do was hurry and write the ticket so he could get back to checking clan territory.

"Turn the engine off and step out of the car, please," the officer requested. Warning bells began going off in Gendo's head, but he complied. After all, what could she do to him; she was just a traffic cop and a woman besides.

"Problem, Officer?" Gendo bluffed as he leaned against the side of the car.

"Were you aware that you have a bulletin on you, Ochiro-San?" she asked him.

"A bulletin?"

"You're wanted for questioning in regards to a capital crime," she told him. "232 to station, requesting unit for transport."

"What capital crime?" Gendo asked indignantly.

"That information isn't in the bulletin," the woman explained. "I'm only instructed to pick you up for questioning. Please turn around and lean forward with your hands on the hood of the car and your feet spread."

The bells were getting louder. Gendo wasn't certain what they wanted to question him for, but if this traffic cop found out he was carrying a Ruger automatic pistol under his jacket, that could only make a deteriorating situation that much worse. Gendo complied, leaning against the car with his hands on the hood. The officer approached to pat him down.

When she got close enough, Gendo's elbow shot out and caught her right on the nose. The officer stumbled backwards and toppled to the pavement. Instantly Gendo pulled open the door of his Jaguar, but a noise stopped him. The Traffic Cop was up on her feet, charging him with a baton in her hand.

Gendo reacted on instinct. The Ruger came out and fired three times, hitting the Patrol Officer twice in the chest. She staggered back and fell to the pavement. Gendo didn't wait around to see the rest. He was in his car and away before her back up could arrive.

* * *

"Wonderful news, Artemis," Luna proclaimed as she scampered into the room she shared with the white cat as a command center. "His and Her Majesties are going to adopt the Russian boy, Yuri-Kun. They've offered him asylum as a refugee and the child accepted."

"That's nice," Artemis mumbled as he typed on his laptop.

"Artemis, look up from that screen once in a while," Luna scowled. "You'll damage your eyesight otherwise."

"Easy for you to say," Artemis replied as he worked. "You don't have a great big puzzle staring you in the face, demanding to be solved."

"I hardly think it's demanding to be solved," Luna countered as she leaped up onto the counter. "It's your ego that's demanding it more than anything else. Take a break and let someone else try."

"Luna, we've already got several cryptographers from the Ministry of Intelligence working on it," Artemis grumbled. "Plus Ami takes a whack at it when she's not busy with other things." He smirked. "Of course she's always busy with other things. You think I work hard, look at her schedule."

"I hardly think sleeping half the day qualifies as working hard," jabbed the black cat. "Still, I'd rather see you sleeping than driving yourself to solve this riddle. It will keep."

"Glad you think so. There's something about this that just tells me I should solve it as soon as possible."

Suddenly the cat stopped and stared at the screen. Luna immediately became concerned and sat down next to him.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Those little rats!" Artemis exclaimed. "They installed a trojan in the file! It's been feeding sensitive information back to Russian Intelligence every time I try to decrypt it! It's been stealing our files!"

"The file you stole," Luna asked with an arched eyebrow, "has been stealing files from us? I suppose I can appreciate the irony. And it isn't as if we can protest."

"Why not? We're the good guys. We're allowed to break the rules," Artemis smiled as he engaged a trojan-killer program.

"That's a dangerous attitude to take, Artemis," Luna advised him.

"OK, how about 'all's fair in love and war'?"

"Are we at war?"

"Apparently we're in a war for the hearts and minds of the Japanese people," the white cat said seriously. "And we're in a war to separate truth from fiction."

"I suppose you're right," Luna sighed. "But do take a break, Artemis. I, well, I don't want to see you harm yourself in an obsessive bid to solve this." She quickly added, "Harming yourself will not serve the interests of the monarchy."

"Yeah. Wouldn't want to let 'the monarchy' down," Artemis said. Luna began to blush under her fur.

Just then Minako entered, more quietly than she usually did.

"How long are you going to be at that, Artemis?" the woman asked. "Your eyes are so red now you could do an eye drops commercial."

"I was just telling him the same thing," Luna told her. "Although I believe I was less vulgar about it."

"Could everybody just be quiet and let me work?" huffed Artemis.

"NO!" Minako and Luna said in unison.

"We're worried about you, furball! You know the old saying: 'All work makes you miss the play'!"

"That's 'all work and no play'. . ." Luna began. Artemis put a paw on hers.

"Just ignore it. That's what I do," he told her.

Just then, the computer beeped. Artemis and Luna looked at the screen as text began to rapidly fill the screen.

"What?" Minako asked.

"We finally broke the encryption on the Operation: Perun's Thunderbolt file!" Artemis exclaimed.

"Ooh! Lemme see!" Minako squealed.

"Get your chin off of my head!" snapped Artemis.

"But I want to see!" fumed Minako.

Silently the three read the text on the screen. As they read, they all grew more and more horrified.

"I must tell Her Majesty!" Luna gasped. "Immediately!"

And the cat scurried out the door.

Continued in Chapter 11


	11. Life At The End Of A Gun

HOUSE OF CARDS  
Chapter 11: "Life At The End Of A Gun"

By Bill K.

* * *

"I must tell Her Majesty!" Luna gasped. "Immediately!"

And the cat scurried out the door.

"Luna, wait!" Minako called after her. But the cat was already out of hearing range. Minako leaned against the desk and sighed with frustration.

"Why don't you want her to tell Serenity?" Artemis asked. "I'd think a state-sponsored plot to assassinate her would be something she should know about."

"You know her as well as I do," Minako glanced at the white cat. "What do you think will be the first thing she thinks of doing?"

Artemis thought for a moment. "Travel to Russia and ask the country's leader why he'd authorize something like this?"

"Grand prize," Minako scowled. "And given what I just read in that computer file, Russia is the last place in the world I want her in."

Just then Minako's cell phone went off. She pressed the screen and put it to her ear.

"Minako Aino, star of records, movies, television and first in the hearts of millions," she said. "Oh, hi Superintendent." As she listened, Minako grew more serious. "Yeah? Need my help?" She nodded as she listened. "Let me see if the others are busy. But I'll definitely be there."

"What's up?" Artemis asked as she put the phone away.

"Tokyo police have a big shot member of the Motoguri Clan cornered in a confection boutique over near The Ginza. Sakurada wants to know if the Senshi can pry him out of there without anyone dying, including him. She says the Motoguri Clan is connected somehow to those 'Divine Army' bombings."

"You head for the garage to get a car," Artemis advised her. "I'll call the other Senshi."

"Right!" Minako said as she headed for the door. "Oh boy, I get to drive!"

"I'm calling Makoto first!" Artemis called after her.

* * *

A car pulled up to the police barricade at the end of a once busy Tokyo street. The police moved to order it away until they saw four Sailor Senshi get out.

"Well I'm sorry!" Sailor Jupiter yelled at Sailor Venus. "Artemis told me that I was to drive!"

"I'm putting laxative in his cat food," grumbled Venus.

"Have you been advised about our arrival?" Sailor Mercury asked one of the police on duty.

"Yes, Ma'am. Word came down from the Superintendent herself. We're supposed to give you full support," the officer responded.

Mercury nodded and pulled out her Senshi computer. As the others crowded around, Mercury pulled up a three-dimensional scan of the confection boutique.

"If I'm reading this correctly," Venus began, "we've got one hostile and five hostages. Two are blocking the front door, two are half way back on either side of the room, and one is with the hostile."

"Direct charge is out," Jupiter commented. "Those two hostages are in the line of fire and the doorway is a natural bottleneck besides."

"Back way?" Mars asked.

"There's a receiving door connected with an alley behind the building," Mercury pointed out. "My scan says it's locked."

"I could melt the lock," Mars suggested.

"It also has a fire alarm that will sound if the door is opened without being unlocked," Mercury added.

"I could melt that, too."

"Fine, that's a good way to flank him," Venus nodded. "But it's going to take a while to melt that lock and get behind him. It would be better if he was distracted." She thought a moment, then smiled. "Well, Tat-Chan says I'm very distracting."

"You're just going to walk in there and let him point a gun at you?" Mars demanded anxiously.

"Well, I could do a tap dance, but these Senshi slippers don't have taps," Venus quipped. "Who better, Mars? I've been known to be very charming, and I've had experience talking to these Yakuza-types. Just don't take forever getting through that lock. The less time I have to do this, the better."

"I'm going with you," Jupiter announced.

"Worried? About me?" Venus asked, askance.

"Damn right!" Jupiter barked.

"Hey, who was Sailor V here?"

"Don't give me that Sailor V stuff! I'm going to have your back!"

"Jupe. I didn't know you cared that deeply," Venus gasped, starry-eyed. "But it'll never work! We're both married! We must think of our . . .!"

"I'll knock you down if you don't quit that!" fumed Jupiter.

"Will you get serious," glared Mars.

"I am serious. This plan will work because I'll make it work," pronounced Venus. "You two just hold up your end."

Mars and Mercury nodded and circled around to the back alley. Venus turned to Jupiter and waved her forward.

"Well, come on, Jupe," Venus said. "Into the valley of death. Oh, and let me do the talking. I know what it's like working a hostile audience."

Rather than exert caution, as Jupiter anticipated, Venus boldly walked right up to the door. Jupiter noticed television cameras recording events and wondered if that was part of her friend's motivation. She shook her head, but couldn't quite dismiss the thought.

"That's far enough!" bellowed Gendo Ochiro.

Venus paused in the doorway, Jupiter behind her and unable to mount any sort of attack or defense due to the narrow doorway. Ochiro was behind the counter, his left arm across the throat of a terrified forty-ish woman and his right hand holding a Ruger automatic pistol that was pointed directly at her.

"OK if I come in?" Venus asked boldly. "I'm letting all of the heat out this way and it's kind of chilly out there."

"Then you can close the door," Ochiro growled, "on your way OUT!"

"Dude, I'm here to negotiate," Venus replied, sauntering in as far as the two hostages in front of the door. She glanced down as Jupiter surreptitiously eased inside behind her. They were both business professionals, women in their thirties. They sat cross-legged on the floor, their wrists bound behind them with mailing tape. "You don't want to spend the rest of your life here, do you?"

"Why you?" Ochiro asked warily.

"Why not me?" Venus exclaimed. "I'm a Senshi. I've got a direct line to the King and Queen. No going through channels here."

"So why is SHE here?" Ochiro demanded, gesturing at Jupiter with the gun. Jupiter glared a response.

"She's my bodyguard," Venus replied jauntily. "You pop me, she pops you. Now personally I don't want it to come to that. A bullet between the eyes would really mess up my appearance and I would just hate that."

"Uh uh," Ochiro shook his head. "She leaves - - now."

"Come on, do you know how uncomfortable it is being in cold weather in these short skirts?" Venus shot back. "Have a heart. It's not like she can do anything to you as long as you don't do something stupid. You're controlling things right now."

"OK, how about this," glared Ochiro. He pointed the gun to his hostage's temple. "You both get out or SHE gets it." The woman whimpered.

"Not a smart move," Venus said. "She's the one thing holding us back. You kill her and we both nail you. And maybe there'll be enough left to go to trial after we're done."

"I'm not afraid to die," Ochiro proclaimed.

"Why even risk it?" Venus prodded. "I am here right now to end this peacefully, with nobody getting hurt. All you have to do is tell me what you want."

"And if I said I want the two of you to strip naked?" sneered the Yakuza. He waited for the anticipated reaction. Jupiter, as expected, became incensed. When Venus did, too, he'd have his opening to take them both out.

"Well anything's negotiable," Venus replied with a cynical smile, "but I have to warn you that I don't come cheap."

That wasn't the reaction Ochiro had expected. A grudging respect grew in his eyes.

"So what's it going to take to end this peacefully?" Venus persisted.

"Safe passage," Ochiro responded, "to Taipei. And a promise from the Queen that they won't pursue extradition."

"Workable," nodded Venus. "Give me a minute to communicate that to the palace. In exchange for that, all the hostages go free."

"No, I keep this one until I'm out of Japanese air space," Ochiro replied, jerking harder on the captive woman's throat.

"If the Queen promises you safe passage, you won't need her," Venus argued. "Serenity is very scrupulous about keeping her promises."

"Like when she kidnaped that Russian boy?" Ochiro asked.

"THAT WASN'T EVEN TRUE!" barked Jupiter.

"Jupe," Venus said, gesturing to her friend for quiet. "Don't believe everything you read on the net, hot shot."

"I'm only going to trust her when I'm safely in Taipei," Ochiro sneered. "Then I'll let this woman go. In the mean time, you better get calling!"

"OK, OK," Venus assured him. "So, do you want to fly commercial or private jet?"

"Just call!" snapped Ochiro.

"Just trying to get the details worked out ahead of time. So while we're waiting, why did you shoot that Traffic Officer?"

Ochiro put the gun to the head of his hostage.

"OK, touchy subject," Venus said. "Just relax. Hey, Serenity. I've got a little situation here and I think you could be a really big help. There's this guy, see, and he wants us to fly him to Taipei so he won't shoot this woman . . ."

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" the call came suddenly from behind. In moments Gendo Ochiro found his gun hand and gun encased in a ball of ice. Reflexively he turned toward Sailor Mercury, dragging his hostage with him to use as a shield. Then he saw Sailor Mars.

"Akuryo Taisan!" Mars shouted and launched a sutra at the gunman.

The paper shot to him like it was jet propelled and stuck to his forehead. At once, the strength seemed to go out of Ochiro's legs. He sank to the floor, dragging the poor hostage woman with him. By the time Venus and Jupiter got to the counter, Mars and Mercury were prying the arm off of the hostage. Ochiro lay stunned, not asleep but unable to function. Mercury herded the weeping woman away, trying her best to console the woman.

"Nice shot, Mars!" Jupiter exclaimed. She turned to Venus. "And you really pulled it off, Blondie. I half-expected you to talk him into turning that gun over."

"Thanks. It's a gift," Venus shrugged. "Although I admit I was beginning to run out of things to stall him with. You and Mercury got here just in time."

"The door was thicker than I thought. Sorry," admitted Mars.

Venus glanced back at the stunned Yakuza. "Funny, he doesn't look like your usual street thug. I wonder if he was somebody."

At a signal from Mercury, Tokyo police stormed the shop. They escorted the hostages out and took Ochiro into custody. As that happened, Venus and the others heard a loud noise from her communicator.

"Oh! Serenity! Sorry about that," Venus grinned.

"WHAT IS GOING ON THERE?" Serenity screamed through the communicator. "ARE YOU HURT?"

"Everything's fine now. Sorry I worried you," Venus said sheepishly. "We'll tell you everything when we get back."

* * *

"What was all the shouting about?" Endymion asked, entering the Royal Chambers. Serenity was sitting on the sofa, with Luna at her feet. The kids were in their rooms, studying.

"Nothing," huffed the Queen. "Venus just scared me to death, that's all."

"I shall brief you, Your Majesty," Luna advised him.

"OK, but I came in here to give you an update on Yuri-Kun's status," Endymion informed them. Serenity's attention riveted on him. "I sent a formal message to the Russian government, informing them that we were granting refugee status to Yuri-Kun."

"So is he ours?" Serenity squealed.

"Well, the Russians weren't too happy with the news," Endymion related. "They're filing a formal protest with both the government and with the United Nations High Commission on Refugees. I don't anticipate any trouble. If you'd like, we can either start a formal adoption process or, since we are King and Queen, just proclaim him our adopted son."

"Let's go with the second one!" Serenity beamed. Then her smile dimmed. "It's good to have some good news."

"Something happened?"

"Artemis was finally able to decipher the 'Perun's Thunderbolt' file, Your Majesty," Luna explained. "I was just outlining it to Her Majesty when you came in."

"Oh, Endymion, it's awful!" gasped Serenity. Concerned, Endymion sat down.

"According to the plan, the Sakarov couple were agents of Russian Intelligence with a general mission of intelligence gathering, and a specific mission. Should the Russian government deem Her Majesty a threat to them specifically or to the world, they were to attempt at all costs to assassinate her."

Endymion's expression grew cold.

"One would attempt to get close to her," Luna continued, "by playing on her sympathies, which is quite well known to be one of her weaknesses. They were even ordered to use Yuri-Kun if necessary to accomplish the task. Once in proximity to Her Majesty, one or the other Sakarov would inject her with a powerful poison each had concealed in a pen."

"Unbelievable," Endymion mumbled.

"The plan further states that if the Sakarov family were unable to execute their mission, pardon the term, or unable to get close enough to attempt it, some of the other agents planted in Japan would take up the mission. But it's quite clear that they viewed Her Majesty as a potential threat to them and were prepared to defend themselves against it."

"Don't they understand? I just want everyone to live together in peace," Serenity protested. "No one should ever be afraid of me!"

"To some, peace and harmony are less important than maintaining power and . . ." Endymion began.

But he stopped when Serenity gasped audible. The Queen was up from the sofa and across the room in moments. Endymion and Luna followed her with their eyes and saw the cause of her distress: Yuri was standing in the doorway, listening to everything.

"Oh, Yuri, I'm so sorry you had to hear that!" Serenity cried. She knelt in front of the boy and crushed him against her.

"It can't be true," Yuri mumbled in shock. "Mom and Dad? Spies? And sent here to-to kill you? It can't be true. My parents were good people! It can't be true!"

"Maybe they were being forced," Serenity cooed in his ear, trying to calm the boy, trying to wash away his pain with love. "Maybe they didn't want to do what they did. Please don't think badly of them, Yuri."

Yuri didn't respond, save to bury his face against Serenity's soft shoulder and begin crying. By now Setsuko was out in the hall, wondering what the crisis was. Yuri continued to cry and Serenity continued to hold and support him. Then Endymion knelt down next to them.

"Yuri," he began, "I know this is a blow. But too often that's the way the world is. Sometimes there are bad people out there, and sometimes there are good people that are forced to do bad because they're protecting something or because they don't have any other choice. On the day he died, my father was going to do something bad because he didn't see any other way to protect what he loved most. If your fondest memories of your mother and father are of the love and guidance they showed you, then don't let their weak moments color your memories."

"All right," Yuri murmured. He pulled his face from Serenity's shoulder and looked directly at her, his eyes still rimmed with tears. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Serenity smiled.

"For what they were going to do to you," he offered. Serenity hugged him to her again.

"You don't need to apologize," she told him. "I don't hold it against them, and I certainly don't hold it against you."

"Then you still want me?" Yuri asked.

"Forever and ever!" gushed Serenity and she squeezed the boy tightly again. Endymion, Luna and Setsuko all looked on happily.

Finally Serenity let go and took the children back to their rooms. When she returned, though, her expression was not one of kindness.

"What are you planning?" Luna asked warily.

"Someone has to go to them," Serenity replied, "and explain to them that I'm not a threat to them. That they don't need to do things like this. That we can find common ground and be friends."

"Your Majesty," Luna began with a warning tone.

"Don't try to stop me, Luna," Serenity told her. "This has to be done."

Concluded in Chapter 12


	12. The Threat Of The Olive Branch

HOUSE OF CARDS  
Chapter 12: "The Threat Of The Olive Branch"

By Bill K.

* * *

Walking down the hall of the main police headquarters in Shinjuku was a sight that was not unheard of for those halls: Superintendent Natsuna Sakurada walking with Sailor Venus. The Senshi were frequent aids to the police and collaborated with them even more now that Sailor Moon had ascended to the throne as Queen Serenity. Plus, many of the veterans of the force knew of Sakurada's fan girl appreciation of Sailor Venus, going back to her days as Sailor V, and of her alternate identity.

They didn't have time to dwell on this, though. A major break in the "Divine Army" case had them all tracking down new leads.

"We're questioning Ochiro now," Sakurada informed Sailor Venus as she let the Senshi into an observation room off of the interrogation room.

"Is he giving you that yakuza tough guy garbage?" Venus asked.

"Actually, he's cooperating on everything. Take a look," and she nodded to a monitor displaying audio and video of the room where Gendo Ochiro was being questioned. "He says that the entire plot was Endo Motoguri's idea. It was an elaborate hoax to try to divert palace and police attention away from the Motoguri Clan's drug trade. This guy has been looking to cut a deal almost since he arrived."

"So much for 'The Code'," sneered Venus. "I always thought as much."

"What do you mean?"

"The Yakuza get romanticized as these outlaws with their own code of ethics," Venus replied. "You know, rebels defying the regimentation of Japanese society and all that crap. But I've met more than my share of these guys over the years and most of them are just bullies with guns. And if you take their guns away and show them they can't intimidate you physically, they fold like a cheap road map."

Sakurada glanced over at her and smiled. "Sounds personal, V-Chan. Not that I don't agree with you. Say, doesn't the movie your husband's working on have elements of that in the story?"

"What can I say?" Venus shrugged. "Romanticism sells." They listened to Ochiro confess everything, his story altered to minimize his culpability. "So, you believe him?"

"Parts of it," Sakurada replied. "It fits with a lot of what we already knew. A lot of the evidence was pointing to someone in the Motoguri Clan rather than a terrorist organization. That's why we originally wanted to pick Ochiro up."

"What part don't you buy? That he was just a good soldier following orders?"

"We'll see if it plays well with testimony from others in the organization," Sakurada answered. "Endo Motoguri seems to have disappeared, so that's a point in Ochiro's favor. But I'm not ready to believe him just yet."

"So he could get his deal?" Venus asked.

"He shot one of my officers," Sakurada said coldly, "and he held five civilians hostage. He's going to Fuchu for a long time. But we can use this testimony, freely given, against other members of the clan; even Motoguri, if he's ever found. This is going to cripple them. It may even cause them to crumble like a house of cards."

"Works for me," Venus replied. "How's your traffic officer, by the way?"

"She's recovering," Sakurada said, staring at the monitor and Ochiro's face on it. "Thankfully for his sake."

* * *

"Someone has to go to them," Serenity replied, "and explain to them that I'm not a threat to them. That they don't need to do things like this. That we can find common ground and be friends."

"Your Majesty," Luna began with a warning tone.

"Don't try to stop me, Luna," Serenity told her. "This has to be done."

"Serenity, I really don't think that's a good idea," Endymion said as gently as he could while at the same time blocking her path.

"But Endymion, somebody has to make them understand!" Serenity protested.

"And what were you planning on doing? Teleporting to Moscow?" Endymion asked. "You remember what teleporting to France did to you, don't you? And I don't think it's a very good idea to leave yourself in a vulnerable position in the company of someone who had plans to assassinate you."

"But Endymion . . .!" Serenity persisted.

"You've got a daughter to think of," Endymion reminded her, "and a brand new son as well. You can't risk it."

Frustrated, Serenity flopped into a chair and rested her head against one hand. Everyone felt sympathy for her.

"How about I contact our embassy in Moscow and try to set up a phone or web-cam meeting with the Russian head . . ." Endymion began.

"No, that's too slow. I want to do this before I chicken out. But how?" Serenity mused. Then an idea occurred to her. "I wonder if I can do it?"

"Your Majesty," Luna again began to warn her.

But Serenity just closed her eyes and seemed to fall asleep in the chair. Endymion and Luna approached her curiously.

"Serenity?" Endymion ventured.

But Serenity was only there physically. Mentally, she was in Moscow, in the office of the head of state. The man looked up from his desk and was momentarily startled by Queen Serenity appearing in his office as if an apparition. He recovered quickly and reached for a console on his desk with a bank of buttons.

"Please don't be frightened," Serenity's mental projection said. The man looked at her without understanding. "Oh, silly me!" and Serenity snapped her fingers. "Now do you understand me?" the projection said in perfect Russian.

"I was unaware that you spoke Russian, Queen Serenity," he said, his manner bland and unconcerned by the unsubstantial image in his office. "Given your power, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised."

"I apologize for intruding," Serenity continued. "But there seems to be some sort of misunderstanding between our countries. I wanted to try to clear that up and see if we can find common ground."

"Very gracious of you," he said pleasantly. "What misunderstanding are we operating under that would cause you to visit me in this manner?"

"Well," Serenity began, "you seem to think that I'm some sort of threat to you."

"And how did you come to this conclusion?"

Serenity looked down. "We know about Operation: Perun's Thunderbolt." The woman seemed pained to even admit it.

"And what's that?" he asked.

"It's a plan," Serenity continued, shaken by his response, "to assassinate me if you decide that I'm a threat to you. I'm not a threat - - to anyone! I don't believe in such things! I want the world and everyone in it to live in harmony!"

"And if they don't?"

"Then I'll keep trying," Serenity responded, curious about his attitude, "until they do."

"And how would you do that?"

"By showing them a better way," Serenity smiled. "By showing everyone that there's a better way than killing and hatred, that we can all live together."

"Very admirable sentiments," he smiled back. "But the human race I'm familiar with often prefers killing and hating to living together." He shifted in his chair. "Suppose you came across two men. And each one had a knife. And they were stabbing each other. What would you do?"

"Why, stop them, of course," Serenity replied with astonishment.

"And if they had good reasons for attacking each other?"

"No one has a good reason for killing," Serenity shook her head.

"If the one man was defending his family from the other man? That's not a good reason?"

"Not to kill. Stop him, yes. Protect others, yes. But not to kill."

"And if it was the only way to stop him?"

"It's still wrong," Serenity maintained. "I suppose if he had no other choice, it's understandable. But too many people use killing as a first response and not a last resort."

"But before he can make that decision, you would swoop in and use your superior power to stop the fight?" he asked. "Who says you are right to do so?"

"I'm protecting lives!" Serenity protested.

"So is he," came the response. "We protect what is precious to us with the tools at our disposal. Some of us have supernatural powers granted to us by a magic crystal. Others must use more conventional means."

"This is going back to me, isn't it?" Serenity asked. "You're worried about me being a threat to you. I'm not. I promise I'm not."

"It is easy to say that," he shrugged. "Are you human? Since the second ice age, I've never been certain."

"I like to think I am," Serenity said.

"Humans are flawed creatures. They give in to greed, to jealousy, to fear, to other dark emotions. Do you have such emotions?"

"I suppose I do," Serenity answered. "But I try very hard not to let them get the better of me. And I have a very strong circle of friends to keep me humble. It's important to be humble given the things I can do."

"Well said," he nodded. "But humans can lapse. Humans can give in to their weakness, to their darker side. That makes them a potential danger to other humans. Now consider if that human had the ability to make anything wished for come true. How dangerous would that be?"

"You don't have to worry about that," Serenity maintained.

"A prudent man would," he argued. "Now I know nothing of this 'Perun's Thunderbolt' you speak of, but if a single human being possessed enough power to kill," and he glanced at Serenity, "um, destroy a globe full of invading ice giants, then melt the ice covering the world and THEN grow food all over seven continents, then that power, governed by human frailties and emotions, can become a threat - - that's something a prudent man would be concerned about. And that prudent man might put in place a plan to neutralize such a person should the time come when that power became a threat."

"I," Serenity began, then shook her head. "I just think that it's difficult to have cooperation under a cloud of suspicion." She thought a moment. "And couldn't such a contingency plan be used for personal gain, to eliminate the only person who could stop their plans?"

He smiled. "But I would never do that."

"I see," Serenity looked down, and the man watched her. She looked up again, right into his eye. "I see I'm going to have to keep proving that I'm not a threat, and that I only have everyone's best interests in mind. That I would never use my power for personal gain or to oppress others. I was naive to think that people would just accept my word."

She turned away momentarily, then turned back to him.

"Some day everyone will realize that our best means of survival is to help each other and look out for each other, instead of being suspicious of each other," she said. "I guess I'll just have to work harder to show everyone that. Speaking with you has been - - enlightening. Again, please forgive me for intruding."

And the spectral image faded away.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Intelligence Minister Aramaki entered King Endymion's office. He found the King working at his desk. Though his bushy appearance and squat frame made him look uneducated to the ignorant, Aramaki had eyes that seemed to notice everything. When Endymion looked up, Aramaki could see he had been reviewing legislation on refining Japan's tax code.

"You summoned me, Your Majesty," Aramaki nodded.

"Yes," Endymion replied and put the legislation aside. He seemed tired to Aramaki's eyes. The minister wondered if the pressures of government were beginning to weigh on him or if it was the recent business with the Russians. "Sit down. I wanted to ask you about this whole spy business thing. You're sure all of the Russian agents have been cleaned out?"

"Certain as far as the information the palace supplied us with, Your Majesty," Aramaki replied.

"Then we're done with it?"

"For now."

"For now?" Endymion asked.

"Your Majesty," Aramaki began, "if the Russians value monitoring Japan as much as I think they do, they'll have another network set up as soon as possible. And given Japan's proximity to Russia's east coast and the, well, abilities of The Queen, I think it's safe to say that it will be a high priority with them."

"How do we stop it?"

"Short of banishing anyone of foreign descent from the country," Aramaki began bluntly, "and anyone who has or had any contact with Russia now or in the past, I don't think it's possible." Endymion looked frustrated. "It's the way the world works, Your Majesty. We can, of course, try to remain vigilant so nothing resembling 'Perun's Thunderbolt' is implemented, but then we'd have to do the same for the Chinese and American services, possibly MI-6 . . ."

"They have spies here, too?" Endymion gasped.

"'Spy' is a pejorative term, Your Majesty," Aramaki said. "Not every intelligence agent has a license to kill like James Bond. Most just gather intelligence and report back. It's the few who actively engage in theft, sabotage or murder that you have to identify and neutralize. And every major power does it; even us."

"Of course that makes sense," Endymion mumbled. "I just - - I don't want Serenity targeted again. I want to make certain that she's safe."

"As do I, Your Majesty," Aramaki assured him. "Our mission at the Ministry is to keep her, and you, and everyone in Japan safe. But you have to understand: you're both very powerful and very high profile. And that's going to draw the attention of - - unscrupulous people."

Endymion sat back and emitted a very anxious sigh.

* * *

At a party in the palace dining area being held in honor of Yuri Sakarov being adopted into the family of King Endymion and Queen Serenity, everyone who lived or worked in the palace who wasn't on duty ate and celebrated and generally made merry. At the head of the table, flanked by his new adoptive mother and father, sat Yuri. To say the boy was slightly overwhelmed by everything was an understatement.

"What's the matter, Yuri?" Serenity leaned in when she noticed that the young blond boy seemed ill-at-ease. "Aren't you having fun?"

"It's," Yuri began, "very nice. Thank you, um - - do I call you mother now?"

"If you like," smiled Serenity. "But if that's difficult for you, because of the memories it brings up, anything you want to call me will be fine. I just want you to be happy."

"All right," Yuri nodded cautiously, "Your Majesty."

"Anything but that," Serenity said, her smile suddenly forced. Her friends and their families all enjoyed a good laugh at her expense. The Queen whirled on Luna, who was at her feet. "You put him up to that! I know you did!"

She received a malicious grin in response.

"Sorry," Yuri mumbled. "Well, Setsuko-Chan calls you 'Usagi-Mama'. Is that all right?"

"That's fine, Yuri," she nodded.

The party continued, but so did Yuri's anxious endurance of it.

"Rei," Serenity whispered to her friend, "I thought Yuri would like this party. I didn't insult him, did I?"

"He's just a little overwhelmed," Rei assured her. "I can read that there's still part of him that thinks his real parents will show up any minute and reclaim him. Give him a little time to settle in."

"You're sure?" Serenity asked.

A slight commotion began to stir, attracting everyone's attention. It was then they all noticed the famous Tatsuo Hiroyuki enter. Minako lurched out of her chair and ran over to him. The couple kissed long and passionately, eliciting more than a few oohs and aahs from the audience. When they finally parted, Minako led Tatsuo over to the table.

"Tat-Chan is back from shooting his picture," Minako announced. "If you don't see me for a few days, you'll all know why." And she and Tatsuo went into a clinch again. Ami looked away uncomfortably. Makoto gave her a sour look.

"Could you at least wait until you get to your quarters," Rei rumbled. "There are children present."

Minako broke the clench long enough to glance at her.

"Oh that's right," Minako leered. "You're the only one at the table who's NOT married." And she went back to kissing her husband while Rei did a slow burn.

"You know," Serenity leaned over to Rei, "there's a really cute security guard I noticed that I . . ."

"You say one more word in that vein and I will put SUCH a curse on you," Rei replied.

"Honestly, Rei, you're just no fun!" pouted the Queen.

"Excuse me," Ami rose and said, in an attempt to get events back on track, "I would like to propose a toast. To Serenity and Endymion, and to Yuri-Kun and Setsuko-Chan; may this joining bring everyone happiness. Yuri-Kun, they won't replace your parents in your heart. But coming from the tragic circumstances you've endured, you've managed to land in the best possibly scenario. One day, perhaps soon, perhaps later, you'll come to appreciate just how fortunate these coming days will be. The King and Queen will be wonderful surrogate parents for you if you're wise enough to allow them to be." She raised her glass higher. "May the gods grant you the wisdom to allow it."

Everyone raised their glasses in unison.

* * *

That night, Setsuko stirred from her rest. Usually a sound sleeper, the child for some reason unknown to her got up and went over to Yuri's room. Peeking inside, the girl found the boy's bed empty.

"If you're looking for Yuri-Kun," she heard Luna say and spotted two red eyes glowing in the darkness, "he's out on the east balcony. Apparently he wasn't able to sleep."

Instantly Setsuko was out into the hall and headed for the balcony. The black cat smiled to herself.

"Bravo, Your Majesty. You've taught the child well," Luna mused to herself, then went back to prowling the palace.

Setsuko slid the door to the balcony open, alerting Yuri to her presence. He glanced at her, then glanced away in embarrassment. Though the temperature that night was in the thirties, the balcony was heated and the children were in no danger of hypothermia.

"It's OK if you miss them," Setsuko said. "I still think about my original parents. And I wonder sometimes how different my life would be if they hadn't died."

"It's not that," Yuri replied, staring the entire time at Tokyo Bay shrouded in night, yet illuminated by the lights of the harbor district. "Well, it is that. I do miss them. But . . ."

"Is it because they were spies?"

"I still don't accept that," Yuri said. "I mean, Mamoru-Papa wouldn't lie about that. But it had to be because they were forced to do it." He fell silent. "I just . . ."

"Wonder what's going to happen next?" Setsuko ventured. "I wondered that when I first came here. But living here for so long, I know now that I'm really lucky. A lot of things could have happened to me after my parents and my Onee-Chan died. And I don't think some of them would have been very good. But getting adopted by the King and Queen was the absolute luckiest thing that could have happened. Because they're so nice."

"Yeah, they are really nice," Yuri said. Then he grimaced, surprising Setsuko.

"What?" she asked.

"Well," he hesitated, "sometimes I wonder - - why I deserve to be so lucky? Why did they pick me? What have I ever done to deserve such luck?"

"They picked you because you needed them," Setsuko responded, "just like I did. And that's the kind of people they are. And it's the kind of person I want to be some day. And if they see another kid who needs them, they'll take her in, too."

Yuri digested this.

"And if that happens, you have to accept it and not be jealous," Setsuko warned him. "Because Usagi-Mama has enough love in her heart for the entire world, so she's got enough love for us."

"Yeah," Yuri murmured as he rose from the chair he was sitting on. "I guess she does." The two children slid the balcony door open and headed back to the Royal Chambers.

The End


End file.
